I have a new hangout in South Minneapolis. Any given Wednesday through Saturday evening you might find me lounging on the couch listening to some local music or hanging outside at one of the picnic tables enjoying the sunset and feasting on some local food truck fare. I’m talking about Harriet Brewing’s new tap room, of course. Where the european-style beer flows and I always walk away with a new handful of friends.

The entrance to this little gem of a brewery, bar, music venue and art lounge all tied into one is tucked away in the back and can be found just off of Lake and Hiawatha. My beer of choice at the moment is their Sol Bock, which is their interpretation of a Maibock. At 6.5% ABV it is a light enough beer for warm weather with good character and flavor. Citrusy with a hint of caramel and soft finish. I love the staff at Harriet and appreciate how hard they’re always working to make sure everyone’s enjoying themselves.

Harriet Brewing will be joining us at our June 10th dinner at Garden Farme, where Aaron Uban (Restaurant Mona) will be serving up a menu including grilled Shepherd Song lamb with spring garlic and garden farme mint, vegetarian lentil stew with mustard greens and chipotle peppers, early spring pasta salad, exotic greens salad with chives and radishes, turtle bread artisan bread, rhubarb dessert with garden farme honey, and much, much more! Tickets here.

Khaiti and Andrew French’s Living the Dream Farm is best known for its glorious duck eggs. If you’ve never had them, pick some up so you can enjoy their rich and decadent texture.

Duck eggs are just the tip of the iceberg though for Khaiti and Andrew. They also raise chickens, turkeys and goats; host workshops and classes; and offer a CSA farm share program.

Living the Dream Farm focuses its farming methods on permaculture, a branch of ecological design that asks the farmer to understand and work with the natural synergy between the various components of the farm rather than treat each one as a separate element. They practice sustainable methods for their animals, crops and the land itself.

To see first hand the beautiful work that Khaiti and Andrew are doing, join us for our June 17 dinner, where local chefs Dan Stepaniak and Chad Townsend will be crafting a delicious meal from the bounty of L.T.D. Farm. For ticket info, click here. Hope to see you out there!

Megan Dorn

I am so happy with how the pallet garden I constructed a few weeks ago is filling out! Click here to go to the original post with easy, do-it-yourself instructions on creating your own vertical salad pallet.

It was bizarre to be at the fairgrounds on such a mild and overcast day, so I decided to engage in an activity that gets me in a Dan Patch Avenue, 4-H state of mind: people watching.  A little bit of people watching told me lot about the Twin Citians who made up this year’s Living Green community: bike riders, young families, college students, grandparents, artists, farmers, animal activists, foodies, and people who wandered over from the toy expo and car show.  Quite a mixed bag!

Many organizations present were targeting folks who are curious about living green but don’t know how to get started.  Do It Green! Minnesota (formerly The Twin Cities Green Guide) focuses on getting people started on the path toward sustainability by maintaining an informative website and offering community workshops.  Edible Communities Publications handed out Edible Twin Cities magazines, whose goal is “to be a resource that makes eating, growing, and enjoying our local abundance an everyday pleasure”.   Chaska’s Rebecca Irey, Executive Chef of Pure Market Express, targets busy moms “just like her who struggle with… how to feed their families nutritious meals while juggling demanding schedules”.  Their organic, gluten-free donut holes were absolutely delicious.

Some of the exhibitors rely on the hope that well-informed consumers will seek their knowledge or product.  Velasquez Family Coffee sells directly to individuals and workplaces, offering home delivery information on their website next to the story of their family business.  Natural Awakenings Magazine is a free monthly publication that serves as a guide to nutrition, creative expression, green living, and an overall healthy lifestyle.  Their May issue featured a piece about finding a bike that fits your style.

Since we’re talking style and bikes, I would be leaving out one of the coolest parts of the expo, the bike fashion show!  The purpose was to prove that bike apparel can indeed be runway worthy.  Cute mary jane flats, colorful fitted shirts, and cropped jeans were walked across the stage by bike-toting models.  I’m not sure if they were part of the show, but as I was leaving I saw several bikes tricked-out with everything from mini-trailers to motorcycle-esque side mirrors.

I went home with two cutting boards I purchased from Wood from the Hood.  Even though the expo is over, you can still find out where to buy beautiful, useful things made from reclaimed wood by visiting

http://woodfromthehood.com/Products/Products.htm.

So, that’s what you missed… or did you?  If you made it out on Saturday or Sunday, what did you see?  Comment here or on our facebook page to share what we didn’t!

For more information on the exhibitors, presenters, or vendors who took part in the event that supports action for healthier and more sustainable lives, go to http://www.livinggreenexpo.mn/.

Monica Rauchwarter

While it’s interesting to know how eggs are produced, labeled and sold, it doesn’t matter too much if you never get to enjoy them in all their delicious glory.

For some of you, cooking eggs might be second nature. You can just sense when the egg is within that tiny window between runny whites and tough yolks. For most of us though, it’s not quite that easy. Egg whites set at 155 degrees, while egg yolks set at 158 degrees, giving you a three degree window in which to pull your eggs (if you’re like me and love a firm white and a runny yolk).

Egg cookery really isn’t difficult though, that is, if you know some of the tricks. While I may not be an “eggs-pert,” I do have two tricks (or techniques rather) for my two favorite egg preparations.

Eggs Over Easy:

I grew up on over easy eggs. They were all I knew. Not until later in life did I even find out there were other ways to order your eggs. I can still remember going out to breakfast with my grandparents as a kid. Whenever the waitress asked me how I liked my eggs I panicked a little. What does she mean? Umm…as soon as possible? Is that an option? So I did what any kid would do. I turned to my grandma and gave her the deer-in-headlights look, as if to say, “Grandma…tell her what I want!”

As I got older and began attempting to cook my own over easy eggs, it didn’t take me long to realize that flipping the eggs over really sucks. Forget the fact that they don’t look nearly as pretty and pristine as they did pre-flip, if my yolks break as a result of the flip the day is officially over. I may have only been awake for 15 minutes, but the defeat is enough to send me back to bed.

Then about a year ago things started looking up. I was in my first semester of culinary school and we were learning basic breakfast cookery. And to my surprise, eggs over easy really can be easy. Here is the basic technique I learned:

Most food must be grown with care and attention in order to reap the nutritional benefits.  Most – but not all!  Wild edibles are foods that grow out in nature and can be harvested for a brand new dish or as a tasty alternative to an old favorite.  Early spring is the time to look for garlic mustard, a non-native invasive plant that has the ability to take over the forest floor.  Best harvested before the second-year stalk begins to flower, garlic mustard is aromatic and packed with nutrients.  I harvested whole plants, then picked and washed leaves in my kitchen before throwing them in a food processor.

After comes the walnuts, cloves of garlic, oil, salt, and cheese.

Garlic Mustard Pesto:

4 cups of washed garlic mustard leaves (preferably from a non-flowering plant)

1 cup olive oil

3 oz. walnuts

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesean cheese or similar

2 cloves garlic

salt to taste

Even the roots of this pesky plant can used.  Once they have been thoroughly washed and finely chopped, add some apple cider vinegar and salt to make a condiment similar to horseradish.

This is just the beginning of the foraging season.  Green Your Plate and Trout Caviar are good blogs to check for foraging tips and tricks.  If you’re looking for some hands-on experience, I will be leading wild edibles hikes and taste-testing at Dodge Nature Center on May 17th (7-8:30pm) and at Warner Nature Center on August 1st (6-8pm).  Hope to see you there!