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Mar 28, 2013
Serving local food: Sontes makes its mark in Rochester
Six years ago or so, when Sontes opened on Historic Third Street SW in downtown Rochester and advertised that they serve tapas, many people asked, “What’s a tapa?” and “What’s a Sontes?”
Today, not only do people know that tapas are small plates that are meant to be shared at a table, but also that Sontes is a unique dining experience; it is a restaurant where a lot is happening. They are renowned for their dedication to buying local food, resulting in an exceptionally creative menu, and recognized for their support of the arts.
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Mar 28, 2013
Reclaiming silverware: Family creates jewelry from cutlery
There are so many different ways to recycle and so many different products that can be recycled. We can leave our old newspapers, milk jugs or spaghetti jars out for local recycling companies, we can bring our old clothes to a number of clothing stores, we can even recycle our technology. These are some of the more typical items to reuse but what about recycling something into a piece of jewelry? What about turning an old spoon or fork into a beautiful piece of wearable art?
That is just a portion of the work done by Porkchop’s, a business owned and operated by Patty Wuttke of La Crosse, Wis., along with her husband Mike Hakala and father Tom Wuttke.
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Mar 28, 2013
Don’t flush that: Do your part to keep sewer pipes flowing
It’s a casual observation, but one that David Lane can’t ignore. Every year, it seems more and more things that shouldn’t be in Rochester’s sanitary sewer system get in there, causing blockages that need to be removed.
The only things that should be going down the drains of homes and businesses are human waste and toilet paper, says Lane, the environmental coordinator for Rochester’s Public Works department.
By doing this, you are helping to reduce the chance of blockages in the sewer that, left on their own, could cause an overflow, which is a public health concern.
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Mar 28, 2013
Tips from a pro: Farmers market vendor offers her gardening advice
Laurie Timm of Fairview Farm in Altura has tips for those of us aspiring to look down at our hands and see green thumbs. She and her husband Mark, with their son Ben and Ben’s fiancee Desaray Funke, grow approximately 24 acres of vegetables and fruit out of the 500 acres they farm.
“We grow virtually every vegetable that can be grown around here,” Laurie says.
They sell produce at the Winona, Rochester and Plainview farmers markets, plus they sell to school systems, restaurants and food co-ops. She started selling extra produce from their home garden at the Winona market in 1991.
Before planting
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Mar 28, 2013
Build your soil: Natural options are available to help your garden grow
The days of being cooped up indoors are coming to an end with the start of spring. The sun is sticking around longer and the calendar is creeping toward warmer days, putting a lot of people in the gardening mindset. It’s time to peak outside and assess what needs to be done.
Whether you’re planning a total yard makeover or just to tend to some plants that could use a little more nurturing, there are a variety of products to help plant growth. Two businesses in southeastern Minnesota have created their own non-chemical products for home gardeners.
Non-GMO soil amendment
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Mar 28, 2013
Dance calories away: Fox trot your way to fitness
Dance is an art form. It’s an expression of self through movement and music. But it is also a great way to get in better physical condition and have fun.
“Dancing is a great form of non-impact aerobic exercise,” says Fred Gommels, director of Blue Moon Ballroom in Rochester. “It’s a fun way to improve weight and burn calories.”
According to Gommels, dancing can burn approximately 200 to 380 calories per hour, depending on your dance of choice.
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Mar 28, 2013
Page turners: Recent farm memoirs that earn two green thumbs up
Ready for the prime growing season? Why not get your fix by flipping through a memoir about life on the farm? An abundance of books have appeared in recent years written by growers who know a thing or two about making a living from the ground up. Here, our Radish staff recommend a few favorites.
The Wisdom of the Radish: And Other Lessons Learned on a Small Farm
By Lynda Hopkins (2011, Sasquatch Books, 248 pages, $23.95 hardcover)
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Mar 28, 2013
Southeast Minnesota’s summer farmers markets
Featured markets:
AUSTIN
Where: Corner of Oakland and 4th Street NE
When: Mondays and Thursdays, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. May 9 through October
More information: Karl Milliron,
(507) 383-4808
Locally grown fruits, vegetables, eggs, chicken, honey, jams, jellies, homemade baked goods, bedding plants, ornamental plants, cut flowers and craft items.
LANESBORO
Where: Sylvan Park, three blocks north of the intersection of State Highways 16 and 250
When: Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon, May 4 through October. Earth Day Celebration April 27; Kid’s Day, July 27; Customer Appreciation Day, Sept. 28; Oktoberfest, October 26
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Mar 28, 2013
What is organic: Know the meaning behind the label
The word organic seems to be popping up everywhere these days, but what exactly does it mean? There are a lot of questions surrounding organic products and it’s a good idea to know the answers to stay an informed consumer.
Organic is a term that has been defined in federal law since 1990. The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines organic as a labeling term. In order to be labeled as USDA-certified organic, farmers must follow approved methods which “integrate cultural, biological and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance and conserve biodiversity.”
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Feb 25, 2013
The next step: Following our recyclables after they leave our hands
You drink that bottle of soda or you eat that can of soup. When it comes time to toss the container in which your food or drink came, what do you do? Like most people, chances are you go ahead and toss that bottle or can into your recycling bin.
So, then what happens? Do those stacks of newspaper or bits of plastic actually get made into new items?
Well, yes, and much of that happens here in Minnesota.
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Feb 25, 2013
The learning farm: Teaching families where food comes from
City girl Brenna, (Rochester native, Mayo High School graduate) meets country boy Brian (raised on a Hayfield farm) and they fall in love. With each other. With farm life. The result? Scanlan’s Red Barn Learning Farm.
Brian and Brenna Scanlan are owners and operators of the new, eight-acre, hands-on rural learning center in Hayfield “where every day is a field trip.”
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Feb 25, 2013
Be safe, be educated: How to digest information surrounding alternative medicine
Below, Brent Bauer, the medical editor of “Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine,” explains how to use complementary and alternative medicine, or CAM, in a safe, educated and effective way. CAM includes products or practices that have not been a traditional part of Western medicine, such as herbal supplements, yoga and acupuncture.
Radish: This book, last published in 2010, says 38 percent of adults use some form of CAM. Do you know what that percentage would be today?
Brent Bauer: Most recent studies suggest the number is now closer to 60 percent but, of course, it depends to some degree on what you include in the definition of CAM.
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Feb 25, 2013
Harnessing the wind: Iowa man made his own turbine to generate electricity
What began as an assignment to earn his bachelor’s degree seven years ago is now a way of life for Francis Praska.
In 2001, when Praska retired from the Air Force, he found the job market wanting and realized his best course of action would be to enroll at the University of Northern Iowa. He targeted a degree in electrical and information engineering technology. When the time came to pick a senior design project, he took some advice from his counselor and decided to build a wind turbine.
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Feb 25, 2013
Flavors from the region: Meals from southeast Minnesotans
Homemade chicken and dumpling soup
From Jill Braaten, a registered dietician in
Lake City. She also contributed the recipe for Citrus Salad.
Broth-based soups are packed full of nutrients. I’m sharing my mom’s chicken and dumpling soup. But remember, soup is flexible. If you have favorite meats or vegetables, make your soup your own. Additional vegetables such as kale, green beans or spinach can be added to enhance the flavor and nutrients.
Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients:
For soup:
4 to 5 quarts water
One whole chicken
Olive oil
1 large onion
½ head cabbage
1 cup carrots, chopped or sliced
½ stalk celery
6 to 8 cups chicken broth...More »
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Feb 25, 2013
Don't forget to stretch: How stretching can help the body
Stretching can be a lot like eating our vegetables; we know we should, but it doesn’t always happen. Many people put stretching on the back burner and forget that it is just as important as a workout itself. Taking the time to stretch can reduce soreness the next day, lessen the possibility of injury and even reduce a headache.
“It helps, especially after exercise,” says Summer Groth, a personal trainer at the Rochester Area Family YMCA. “Stretching out muscles that were just worked loosens up any muscle tissue.”
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Feb 25, 2013
Shaking off winter: A farmer's perspective on the start of spring
At the end of each growing season, when we are tired and a little bit crazy, the thought of tilling up and planting a seed bed seems unfathomable. But, after a couple months of rest and the holiday season, we find ourselves restless and yearning for the feel of fertile soil between our fingers.
The snow may still blanket the frozen ground, but the quiet hum of grow lights and the smell of moist earth in our greenhouse tells us spring is coming! Trays of baby seedlings cover every available square inch of table space. By mid-summer, these tiny little plants will be full of lush, vibrant produce.
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Feb 25, 2013
Letting go: Releasing emotions through the Rosen Method
“Well, what do you think?” asks Mary Laven, a practitioner of Rosen Method bodywork.
I just completed an hour session with her and am sitting at her table, enjoying a cup of tea.
“I’m not sure,” I reply hesitantly. Even though I had just experienced the gentle touch and dialogue of a session, it was too soon to digest the experience; I was at a loss for words to describe it.
“Let’s talk about the process, the discovery, the philosophy,” I say. And her story, that of Mary Laven leaving her position at Mayo Clinic and becoming deeply involved in this discipline, began.
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Feb 25, 2013
Calendar of events
If you have events or news to submit for inclusion in this section, please contact Radish editor Heather Thorstensen at hthorstensen@radishmagazine.com.
Canadian Canvases
Where: Minnesota Marine Art Museum, 800 Riverview Dr., Winona
When: Through March 22
What: This exhibition will include works by William Bradford, Dusan Kadlec and Jack Gray, a popular marine artist out of Canada. All works of art are based around Canadian coasts, lakes, rivers, fishing industry, lighthouses and ships.
Cost: Free to children 4 and under, $3 for students, $6 for adults and senior citizens
For more info: amaus@minnesotamarineart.org or (507) 474-6626
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Dec 21, 2012
For your sweetheart: Environmentally-friendly gift ideas for Valentine's Day
Hand-dipped beeswax candles
Want a romantic, candlelight night with your sweetheart? The Jay C. Hormel Nature Center in Austin sells hand-dipped beeswax candles. The candles are reminiscent of the kind that pioneers would use for light, according to Julie Champlin, the nature center assistant.
“They would gather the wax and melt it down and you would have to hand dip them 35 to 50 times, depending on how large you wanted your beeswax candle,” she says.
Nowadays, the dipping is done by the center's staff and volunteers.
“These are much denser than store-bought, paraffin candles and they burn slower with a nice, natural fragrance,” Champlin says.
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Dec 20, 2012
Rooting around: Calendar of events
If you have events or news to submit for inclusion in the ‘rooting around’ section, please contact Radish Editor Heather Thorstensen at hthorstensen@radishmagazine.com.
Golden Eagle Program and Golden Eagle Survey Training
Where: Whitewater State Park, 19041 Highway 74, Altura.
When: January 5, 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. for the golden eagle program, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. for the golden eagle survey training
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Dec 20, 2012
Let there be light: Light therapy brightens some people's lives
Just because the sun is down for longer periods this time of year doesn’t mean you need to feel down, too. A little — big, really — ray of light can brighten your day.
According to Thomas Harman, M.D., of the Rochester Clinic, seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, usually appears in certain people during late fall or early winter and goes away during spring and summer.
“It’s a form of depression,” Harman says. And while it tends not to be as severe as some other common forms of depression, it can be very debilitating to people afflicted by it.
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Dec 20, 2012
Sit, stay read: Library's literacy program helps boy bond with dogs
Magic means different things to each of us, yet I’ve observed that children tend to use the word liberally when encountering events that surprise and delight them. I recently talked with my 10-year-old nephew about his participation in the Sit … Stay … Read program at the Rochester Public Library. It has magically transformed his world. He used to have a palpable dislike for dogs. Not hatred for the species but, as his mom told me recently, an almost visceral reaction to their barking and non-human kinds of communication.
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Dec 20, 2012
Uplifting scents: Understanding aromatherapy and how it is used
We Minnesotans are a hardy breed to withstand plummeting temperatures for three to four months but you must admit, it wears on you and can deplete your emotional stamina.
Because winter blues usually vanish on the tail of a spring breeze, a temporary fix for the affliction might be aromatherapy — using essential oils from plants for therapeutic benefits. Not to be considered a miracle cure, essential oils are used as a mood enhancer and to balance a person’s emotional state, providing a greater sense of well-being. It’s a non-invasive method that has been used for as long as mankind could experiment with nature.
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Dec 20, 2012
Fight the flu: Boost your immune system all winter long
With cold and flu season in full force, many people may wonder what natural remedies are available to them. Here are six quick and easy tips:
1. Drink fluids
One of the most important things you can do is to drink plenty of fluids. Warm beverages such as herbal teas or homemade soups and broths support all of your body’s functions, including the immune system.
2. Catch your zzz’s!
Sleep helps to restore and heal the body.
3. Chiropractic care
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Dec 20, 2012
Get out, get active: Things to do outside this winter
Beat cabin fever by embracing outdoor activities. Not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered:
Spot an eagle
See eagles in their natural habitat with a tour from the The National Eagle Center in Wabasha. Bald eagle viewing field trips will be held Jan. 12 and Feb. 23 while golden eagle viewing field trips will be held Jan. 26 and Feb. 9. Tours run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. They begin with a brief classroom presentation at the National Eagle Center, then participants travel by coach bus to eagle viewing locations. After returning to the center, participants enjoy light refreshments and share pictures and stories from the day. ...More »
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Dec 20, 2012
Have fun with fitness: Rochester studio wants to help the whole family
Empowered Wellness, a Rochester fitness studio, is starting 2013 with classes geared toward families and children, plus their first-ever, six-month Health and Wellness Challenge. They will have new adult classes, such as a kickboxing class and new strength training classes. People who live in Rochester and the surrounding area can try one class for free.
Classes for kids
Co-owners Emily Watkins and Katie Button-Swenson opened their studio in 2011 to build a community focused on healthy living, one that supports all ages, including kids.
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Oct 30, 2012
Rooting around: Calendar of events
If you have events or news to submit for inclusion in the ‘rooting around’ section, please contact Radish Editor Heather Thorstensen at hthorstensen@radishmagazine.com.
November-April
Rochester Downtown Farmers Market – Winter Market Season
Dates are: Nov. 3, 7, 17; Dec. 1, 15, 22; Jan. 5, 19; Feb. 2, 16; March 2, 16, 30
Location: Building #41, Graham Park/Olmsted County Fairgrounds in Rochester
Hours: 9 a.m. to noon
Cost: Free admission
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Oct 30, 2012
Trimming the turkey: Locally sourced birds for your holiday meal
It’s time to plan your holiday dinners. Lucky for you, southeast Minnesota has numerous places for you to purchases locally-raised turkey. Here are some ideas:
• Callister Farms, West Concord
All poultry is processed on the farm in their inspected processing plant. They do not use antibiotics, medications, growth enhancers or stimulants.
callisterfarm.com
(507) 527-8521
• Farm on Wheels, Kenyon
Turkeys are humanely raised on unrestricted, open pasture with no soy products. The farm is certified organic.
farmonwheels.net
(507) 789-6679
• Ferndale Market, Cannon Falls
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Oct 30, 2012
Use your energy: Practitioner describes how energy medicine can help you
Heal thyself? You don’t need to be a physician to take that to heart.
Gail Van Kanegan is happy to teach you how to cure what ails you and keep yourself healthy by letting your own internal energy flow. Van Kanegan, an owner of Midwest Energy Movement, is an Eden energy medicine certified practitioner.
“Energy medicine looks at energy as a vital living force,” says Van Kanegan, who has worked as a registered nurse for 30 years and as a nurse practitioner for 16 of those years. “Energy is a medicine and it’s also the person because we are energy.”
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Oct 30, 2012
Entertainment that educates: Decorah prepares for Oneota Film Festival
Mention a film festival and what comes to mind? Sundance, Cannes, Oneota — what? Oneota?
Yes, the Oneota Film Festival in Decorah, Iowa. Taking its name from the Upper Iowa River’s original Native American name, the festival on the Luther College campus will be in its fourth year when it’s held January 18-20, 2013.
The Oneota Film Festival, or OFF, is the brainchild of a small, dedicated group of film enthusiasts representing Luther College and the Decorah Public Library.
“We are pleased with the continuing growth of the festival,” says Kate Scott, OFF director. “We anticipate a full slate of films for the upcoming showings.”
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Oct 30, 2012
Health through nutrition: Local businesses use food to help Minnesotans heal
Nutrition plays a big part in our overall health. Local businesses are teaching southeastern Minnesotans that what they eat can address their health issues.
The GAPS diet
As the owner of Persea Therapy in Winona, most of Aileen Swenson’s time is spent on teaching people the nutritional protocol for Gut and Psychology Syndrome, or GAPS. The GAPS diet uses nutrition to treat people with issues such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, schizophrenia, panic attacks and anxiety.
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Oct 30, 2012
Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts that give back
This holiday season, you have a chance to make a difference with your dollars. Several businesses in southeast Minnesota offer gifts that do more than just provide something you can give to others — they also gives back. It could be a fair trade product that ensures people who produce it have fair wages, or a locally made item, which supports the local economy.
Here are several options to get you started.
BeeLighted, Fiber & Gifts and Sarandipity
386 South Main St., Zumbrota
(507) 732-4191
beelighted.com
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Oct 30, 2012
A unique boutique: Selling the goods that do good for others
From the time she opened her shop, Wild Ginger Boutique in Zumbrota, Roxanne Bartsh has been filling it with items that not only appeal to what customers want but that also help other people through their sales.
“When I’m buying, I always look for that. Whenever I find something that fits, I bring it in,” she says.
Among her inventory of women’s clothing, accessories, jewelry and small gifts, she includes locally made items and products made in the U.S.A. to support regional artists and the country’s economy.
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Oct 30, 2012
Living for art: Texan finds his niche in Rochester
Bobby Marines, of recent Post-Bulletin fame, is the hot new talent in Rochester. But he’s more than just pretty electrical boxes. This all-around artist is poised to take Rochester by storm.
If you don’t know who Marines is, you’ve still most likely seen his work around town. Recently, and most notedly, he worked with the Rochester Downtown Alliance to paint five electrical boxes around downtown Rochester.
“I applied for three and got to do five,” he explains. “I showed them the concept and examples and they really let me go to town.”
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Oct 30, 2012
Sweating through winter: Indoor exercises you can do at home
With Minnesota winters, it can be easy to let your activity level dip until it’s comparable to a hibernating bear. And yet, it’s important to stay physically active to remain healthy until spring.
Katie Burdick, a certified personal trainer, advises people to make an exercise plan before winter hits. It could be hiring a personal trainer, finding a workout buddy or joining a gym.
To get you started, Burdick, owner of Workout 24/7 Gym locations in Kenyon and Wanamingo and Personal Training with KT, which offers training at clients’ homes, compiled a workout you can do at home, using not much more than your own body weight.
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Sep 06, 2012
Total Wellness Expo: Sept. 22 at Mayo Civic Center
Radish is a co-sponsor of Total Wellness Expo, to be held Sept. 22 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Mayo Civic Center's Exhibit Hall.
Inspired by the desire to bring together the community and businesses in the health and wellness industry, the Total Wellness Expo was created. It will help you learn and grow in your knowledge of wellness in a fun, interactive way.
Quick facts:
• Admission is free
• A Kids' Wellness Area will be part of the expo
• There will be approximately 50 vendors from the health and wellness industry
• The first 50 people receive gift bags
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Aug 28, 2012
Rooting around: A calendar of events
To submit an event for this calendar, contact editor Heather Thorstensen at hthorstensen@radishmagazine.com.
• September 1
By The Light of The Lantern
Location: Historic Forestville at 21899 County Road #118, Preston
Hours: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Cost: $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and college students, $5 for children ages 6-17, free for children ages 5 and under and MHS members. State park vehicle permit required.
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Aug 28, 2012
More than a trend: J.R. Watkins has been "green" for over a century
The “green” trend is in full force these days. Consumers can buy just about any product, from water bottles to reusable bags to baby food, in an eco-friendly or organic version. While this movement is considered new to most products, J.R. Watkins in Winona has been all-natural since its inception.
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Aug 28, 2012
Fashionable fall cooking: Enjoy the warmth of your kitchen in style
It’s time to start thinking about fall dishes. Head back to the kitchen for some seasonal cooking in style. Here are fun ways to mix in fall fashion while mixing up your favorite meals.
Aprons
Start with a good apron. They are useful as hand towels and to keep clothes clean.
Aprons, to many, are more than just a fashion statement, though. Daughters and granddaughters often hold on to their mother’s or grandmother’s old aprons because of the memories they bring back.
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Aug 28, 2012
Harvesting sunlight: Organic farm in Rushford uses solar energy
In the 19th century, Jack Hedin’s great-grandfather farmed and planted trees in a homestead called Featherstone Township. Now, years later, Jack and his wife Jenni McHugh own their own farm.
Its name? Featherstone Farm.
Featherstone Farm was founded in 1994 and has since grown to be 250 acres, one of the largest certified organic farms in Minnesota. According to Katie Sherman, the farm’s community outreach and recruitment events coordinator and community supported agriculture (CSA) manager, the farm has over 70 different crop varieties.
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Aug 28, 2012
Art for all: Crossings at Carnegie hosts classes, concerts and more
"Sometimes, people are like sheep. We go to the same things and we don’t go outside of our box at all,” says Marie Marvin, owner and founder of Crossings at Carnegie in Zumbrota. “Crossings is all about doing something new and different.”
New and different are certainly two words that accurately describe the art studio. Another word to add to the list is diverse. Crossings features classes for scores of art mediums, from drawing to pottery, plus other activities including yoga. It is bursting with creativity and community. Marvin calls the art center a “place where both people and the arts can meet.”
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Aug 28, 2012
Yoga, it's hot: Experience the challenge of hot yoga
The origins of yoga have been traced back to ancient times. Today, however, it has gained popularity worldwide due to the many health benefits it offers.
“It is said that yoga began about 5,000 years ago in northern India,” says Anthony Williams, a 200-hour certified yoga teacher/student. “There are many different types of yoga, about 18 different styles commonly known to the Western world. As different as they may seem though, they all share the common intention of uncovering the light within and the basic goodness of all beings.”
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Aug 28, 2012
Recipe: Easy apple crisp
This recipe comes from Patty Eckdahl, whose family owns Northwoods Orchard in Oronoco. Guests at the wedding of Patty’s son and daughter-in-law enjoyed this fresh, apple crisp in lieu of cake, and it was a hit!
Ingredients:
5 to 6 fresh apples, peeled, cored and sliced, about 4 cups
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sifted flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup soft butter
Directions:
Spread the apples into a greased 8-inch by 8-inch pan. In a bowl,...More »
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Aug 28, 2012
Fall family fun: Northwoods Orchard has apples, pumpkins, furry friends
With beautiful natural colors and crisp air, fall can be the perfect time for a family outing. One of the ideal places to go in our region is Northwoods Orchard in Oronoco.
Northwoods Orchard opens to the public on Sept. 1 with their fresh eating apples. But harvest at the 12-acre orchard starts as early as mid-July for owners Steve and Patty Eckdahl. These apples are mostly sauce apples that have a short storage life, according to Patty.
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Aug 28, 2012
Folk forum starts Oct. 6: Music comes to Oak Center General Store
It would be hard to find a friendlier, more intimate setting than the Oak Center General Store in Lake City. Built in 1913 and restored starting in 1976, the store — and its 150-seat community hall — is part-shop, part-music venue and home to the Folk Forum’s live music.
“Officially we’re open from eight in the morning until six at night,” says owner Steven Schwen. “But realistically, a lot of times there’s a note on the counter telling people to leave money on the counter and take what they want.”
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Aug 28, 2012
Repurposing plates: Artist turns china, stained glass into jewelry
She has a degree in veterinary science, but her heart belongs in the field of art.
Susan Meier’s interests in all things creative goes back to when she was just a child.
“I remember being fascinated with all types of art and knew that was what I wanted to do when I grew up,” the young mother of three says. “I detoured and became a vet, but the road has led me back to this and I love it.”
“This” is Red Pine Jewelry Design, described on her business card as “Recycled broken plate and stained glass jewelry creations.”
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Jul 31, 2012
Rooting around: A calendar of events
If you have events or news to submit for inclusion in the ‘rooting around’ section, please contact Radish Editor Heather Thorstensen at hthorstensen@radishmagazine.com.
May – October
Borrow-A-Bike
Location: The Old Butter Factory, at First Avenue Northeast and East Center Street in Pine Island
Hours: Saturday or Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Weekdays by appointment.
Cost: Free
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Jul 31, 2012
Shower Power: Conserve more than just water with shorter showers
The average American household uses a staggering amount of water: 400 gallons per day for a family of four, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. If we think of water usage in terms of time — how long the tap is left running — ways we might conserve water quickly become apparent. Shortening your average shower time by a single minute can save as much as 1,825 gallons annually.
Besides saving water resources, this also has implications on energy usage. Purifying and distributing all that water takes energy, as does heating it up once it arrives in your home. Thus, cutting back on water usage is also an effective means of conserving fossil fuels.
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Jul 31, 2012
An organic memoir: Minnesota author shares her farming experience
Atina Diffley wrote her debut memoir about farming in Minnesota to help beginning farmers learn from her experience and to teach the public about organic farming.
“It really gives the reader a good understanding of the challenges a farmer works with,” she said. “All farmers, whether they’re organic or not, we all face the same challenges.”
Atina and her husband, Martin, ran one of the first certified organic produce farms in the Midwest, Gardens of Eagan....More »
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Jul 31, 2012
Dinner on the Farm: Local farmers invite you to feast
Imagine a picturesque night on a farm. Good company has gathered for a home-cooked, home-grown meal. The grill is smoking, music fills the air, beer from a local brewery is being chilled in an oversized metal bucket and as the night sets in, a bonfire is lit. This is the picture Monica Walch, Dinner on the Farm founder, and Lisa Klein, Hidden Stream Farm owner, envision for a gathering planned for Aug. 12 on Klein’s farm in Elgin.
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Jul 31, 2012
What is Pilates? Exercise focuses on strengthening core muscles
Strengthening abdominal muscles is not always easy. It is, however, always worth it, especially after seeing and feeling the results of a good core workout. Pilates, an exercise approach invented in the 1920s, is an exercise known to tone, strengthen and stretch muscles, specifically core muscles.
According to Denise Stewart, owner of the Yoga and Wellness Center in Owatonna and a Pilates instructor, those who practice Pilates on a regular basis reap numerous benefits, including back pain relief. Because Pilates focuses on working and lengthening the core muscles, it’s an ideal workout for those who suffer from lower back pain due to muscle tightness.
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Jul 31, 2012
Do your part for Earth: Go back to school in green style
A great education is important. How can a mere human be prepared for an upcoming semester of classes and do their part to protect the environment? Easy: this year, go “green” when going back to school.
Notebooks and Paper
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Jul 31, 2012
Container gardening: Gardens in small spaces
Not everyone has a yard large enough to till and plant a garden. For those who don’t have as much outdoor space, there is always the option of a container garden. Container gardens are grown in containers instead of in the ground. They are most useful for someone who wants to grow their own produce but lives in a smaller space, such as an apartment.
Container gardens are often easier to take care of than a full-sized garden. Weeds are less prominent, and therefore less of a stress to plants. Starting a container garden takes only a few supplies — plants, good soil and a large enough container.
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Jul 31, 2012
Cut your chemicals: Green tips for avoiding pests, cleaning your home and more
The very word, “chemicals,” conjures images of neon-colored goo oozing from foul containers. While all chemicals are not bad for humans or the environment, cutting back when we can is important.
Whether cleaning your home inside or out, or taking care of pesky critters, consider organic alternatives. You might be surprised at how easy and cost effective it is to live better, be safer and give Mother Earth a little hug.
Avoiding bugs
The battle of the bugs — the uninvited guest in your home or the ones munching on your plants — doesn’t mean you should arm yourself with nasty chemicals that sometimes are more harmful than the pests.
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Jul 31, 2012
A team at the market: Sharing space at Thursdays on First & 3rd
Among the treasury of local artists at Rochester’s Thursdays on First & 3rd Summer Market and Music Festival, one pop-up canopy has a particularly eclectic array of items.
The space, known as The Hobby Room, is shared between three Rochester residents.
Two-thirds is taken up by Andrea Sivertson’s whimsical tutus — in sizes that fit babies all the way up to adults — as well as her patterned shoe strings, decorative bobby pins, hooded towels and fabric-shaped flowers that people can clip to their clothes or hair. Recently, she began to use recycled materials, such as plastic shopping bag, to shape into flowers.
Her items range from $2 to $45.
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Jul 31, 2012
Smartphone apps: An Apple (or Android) each day could help your health
Chances are there is something in your pocket or purse that can monitor your health, make you more fit and improve your diet. This miracle device can add up the calories you eat and track the miles you run. It gives you advice, plans your meals and answers your health care questions.
Whether this device is an Android, iPhone or other smartphone, you’ll find an app to help you with just about any health or fitness need. Apps — applications that are small software programs — turn smartphones into information tools.
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Jul 02, 2012
Book family: Spring Valley book club going strong after nearly 30 years
Before there was Oprah’s Book Club, before the library book club or the senior center’s or those special interest groups such as book clubs for mysteries or autobiographies, there was (drum roll, please) the Spring Valley Book Club. Celebrating nearly 30 years of reading, the club has not only survived, but thrived.
It was a cold and snowy Saturday in February 1983 when about four of us met to discuss the need for intellectual stimulation. Living in a small, rural community can have its advantages but there are drawbacks as well.
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Jun 28, 2012
Tour with the Masters: Garden tour hosted by Master Gardeners
Olmsted County’s Master Gardeners are offering six different Rochester gardens to journey through for the third annual Tour with the Masters garden show on July 25 from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. These gardens will display perennials, annuals, hosta glades, sculptures, water features and even a Certified Wildlife Habitat garden.
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Jun 28, 2012
Grow a farmer: Fundraising campaign supports new farmers
A new campaign has been launched in southeast Minnesota to help aspiring Latino farmers start their own chicken farms. The campaign, Grow a Farmer, is a collaborative effort of Main Street Project, Renewing the Countryside and the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation.
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Jun 28, 2012
As local as it gets: Sturdiwheat uses local ingredients and recipes
Suzanne Blue is the president “and janitor,” she says, of Sturdiwheat Foods, Inc. in Red Wing. Sturdiwheat mixes and packages recipes, such as breads, pancakes and buckwheat pancakes, hot cereal and dessert mixes, and “they’re convenient,” says Blue. “For most of them, you just add water or butter.”
Don’t think about asking Blue for Sturdiwheat’s secret recipes — you might as well bang your head against a wall. But if you want to know about the history of the company, the people who developed the recipes or a bit about the grain industry, Suzanne Blue can fill your ear.
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Jun 28, 2012
Blueberry recipes
After you pick them, here is what you can do with them.
Blueberry sauce
Super easy and fast; good on everything. This is great on cake with whipped cream. Or, use it with French toast, pancakes, yogurt and more.
Ingredients:
1-2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, depending on how much you want
¼ to ½ cup sugar
Directions:
Warm berries in sauce pan on medium heat until blueberries juice up, simmer briefly. Add sugar to taste. Stir and enjoy.
Out of this world blueberry pie
A graham cracker crust works well with this.
Ingredients:
Baked 9-inch pie shell
½ cup water
¼ cup cold water
1 cup sugar...More »
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Jun 28, 2012
It's blueberry time: U-pick blueberry farm continues to reap the bounty
‘Tis the berry season at Rush River Produce and owners John and Terry Cuddy, welcome one and all to join in the fun of harvesting the fruits of their labor.
Located across the Mississippi River from Red Wing, just outside Maiden Rock, Wis., Rush River Produce boasts stunning views, acres of berries and flowers, picnic tables, tranquility, a rope swing, plenty of shade and a breeze to boot.
“We are a kid and family friendly berry farm,” explains Terry Cuddy. “The emphasis is on taking your time and enjoying the day, picking and eating to your heart’s content.”
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Jun 28, 2012
Rooting around: A calendar of events
If you have events or news to submit for inclusion in the ‘rooting around’ section, please contact Radish Editor Heather Thorstensen at hthorstensen@radishmagazine.com.
April 22 – August 29
Rochester Moms On The Run
Location: John Withers Sports Complex, 2021 Mayowood Road SW, Rochester
Hours: Recurring weekly on Sunday, Wednesday.
Cost: $179 for one day per week; $219 for two days per week
This running program is geared towards moms of all ages and of all fitness levels. Meet new friends, lose weight, get in shape and learn to run or walk faster. Boot camps will also be available. Sign up online today.
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Jun 28, 2012
Moving meditation: Brice Wilkinson explains the martial art of tai chi
Brice Wilkinson, a former teacher at Winona State University and Colorado native, claims to have unlimited energy. The 78-year-old attributes his vitality to the tai chi he practices daily.
“Every 15 minutes (of tai chi) is the same as two hours of sleep,” says Wilkinson.
Wilkinson began studying tai chi, a form of martial art, in the early 1980s. Tai chi is a non-contact, soft martial art geared towards health and self-development of the body and mind. Tai chi is “moving meditation,” as Wilkinson calls it, as well as “a science that mixes your knowledge with infinite wisdom.”
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Jun 28, 2012
Growing wild: Native plants are low maintenance alternatives
Depending on where you live, there are options springing up all over when it comes to landscaping – options other than the standard grass lawn that most of us grew up with.
Throughout Rochester, for example, homeowners are turning their lawns into vegetable gardens, rock gardens and sculpture gardens.
Here is another idea: Consider propagating native prairie grasses and wildflowers.
According to Virginia Wright-Peterson of Rochester, a Master Naturalist, there are a number of very good reasons to do this.
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Jun 28, 2012
Supporting local artists: Uniquely-named shop sells homemade and local crafts
There are some unique shop names out there, but few have been as intriguing as the name Eclectic Goat. Eclectic — meaning diversity in taste — and goat — the common farm animal — are two words that seem to have little in common. A shop with a name so unusual could only sell the unique, which is exactly what the store’s owners, Shona Brooks and Suz Klumb, aim for.
Eclectic Goat, located in Northfield, is a shop that embraces handmade, local crafts.
“We draw (artisans) from Mankato, Minneapolis and Rochester and have 55 artisans that display their work on consignment,” says Klumb.
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Jun 28, 2012
Do you reuse: Taking plastic bags out of the grocery store
How much of a difference for the environment does using a reusable shopping bag as opposed to a plastic bag actually make? According to Sharon Schriever, special projects coordinator at Olmsted County Environmental Resources, “It does make a difference if you use the fabric or reusable bags. I usually try to tell people to take them to the grocery store every week. By using two reusable bags just once per week, they’ll save over 100 plastic bags per year.”
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Jun 08, 2012
Local Farmers Markets
Southeastern Minnesota 2012 farmers market directory
ALBERT LEA
Albert Lea Farmers Market, parking lot on North Broadway Avenue next to Marion Ross Performing Arts Center.
Locally grown or raised (within 35-mile radius) fruits and vegetables, beef, pork, chicken and eggs, plus maple syrup, honey, jams, jellies, baked goods, cut flowers, bedding plants, soy candles, soap and handmade crafts.
Wednesdays, 4 to 6 p.m., and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon,
May 16 through Oct. 31.
Information: Verlys Huntley,
(507) 297-5546.
AUSTIN
Austin Area Farmers Market, two locations (see below).
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Jun 06, 2012
Rooting Around: A calendar of events
If you have events or news to submit for inclusion in the ‘rooting around’ section, please contact Radish Editor Heather Thorstensen at hthorstensen@radishmagazine.com.
May 17 - August 12
Birds of America: Rare prints by John James Audubon.
Location: Minnesota Marine Art Museum, 800 Riverview Drive, Winona.
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed on holidays)
Cost: Admission for adults is $6, students ages 5-college is $3, immediate family rate is $20 and ages 4 and under are free.
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Jun 06, 2012
Summertime: An essay on the season of fresh food and friends
The summer solstice occurs in the northern hemisphere on June 20, 2012, at precisely 6:09 p.m. Central Standard Time. For us, it marks the first day of summer, the longest day of our year — hence the Latin origins of its name: ‘Sol’ (sun) and ‘stice’ or ‘sistere’ (to stand still). Because of Earth’s 23.5 degree tilt, the northern hemisphere slants toward the sun in summer and away from it in the winter. (Conversely, if we dwelled in the southern hemisphere, the seasons would be reversed in accordance with Earth’s tilt.)
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Jun 06, 2012
A visit to RideAbility: A place to find hope and healing through horses
Standing in the center of the corral, Jeanie Michelizzi calls out verbal cues with an encouraging voice to a young woman riding Maxie, a beautiful white and black Paint horse at Promised Meadows Farm in Pine Island.
The children and young adults who come to RideAbility are on the full spectrum of disabilities but that does not stop their determination or crush their spirit.
“The horse responds to the confidence of the rider when the seat is down and a physical connection is made with the horse. Learning the verbal commands ‘step step’, ‘whoa’ and ‘walk on’ are fundamental because sometimes their voice is all they have,” Michelizzi says.
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Jun 06, 2012
Healthy Living Fair: 2012 exhibitor guide
Make sure to see what these local organizations have to offer at our Healthy Living Fair on June 16.*
Absolute Chiropractic – Receive a brief spinal exam for free and schedule a more thorough exam that includes a complete thermography scan, muscle ENG, and all necessary x-rays for a reduced rate. www.absolute-chiropractic.com
Alzheimer’s Association – Get information on current research about Alzheimer’s from Mayo Clinic as well as information on services that are provided in the area. Learn about the Walk to End Alzheimer’s that will take place September 8 in Rochester. www.alz.org
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Jun 06, 2012
Growing CROPS: Rochester's network of community gardens expands
Convert under-used spaces into community gardens.
The idea was simple and a small team of Rochester residents, partnered with the Rochester Area Foundation, were eager to make it happen. CROPS was born in 2009, inspired by a vacant lot on West Center Street and one organizer’s well-intentioned but ridiculed question: “How many years until we get the CROPS?”
Since then, the network has expanded to include 188 8x10-foot plots spread across seven community gardens on private lots and public park land.
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Jun 06, 2012
Healthy Living Fair: Fun for the whole family
Get ready for some serendipity.
We Minnesotans love getting outside in warm weather for fairs. And I know, as a Radish reader, that you enjoy discovering the people, places and things in our region that can help you maximize your health.
That’s all coming together at Radish’s second annual Healthy Living Fair on June 16. The fair will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., next to the Rochester Downtown Farmers Market at 4th Street and 4th Avenue SE in Rochester.
Radish and Post-Bulletin sponsor the fair in partnership with the farmers market. Admission and parking are free.
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Jun 06, 2012
Tastes like home: Farmstead cheese comes from Elgin farm
Spring is in the air as I drive the short distance from Rochester to Elgin to visit with Pam Benike of Prairie Hollow Farm. I am heading there to learn about farmstead cheese; tucked in my notebook is a printout of the Minnesota statute defining this product in literal terms, but I know little about the process involved in producing unique flavors that are better described by the senses.
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Jun 06, 2012
Menus made local: Restaurants stand out with farm-fresh ingredients
Next time you dine out, you might want to ask the chef which farmers markets he or she frequents.
“I generally go to two or three a week,” says Greg Jaworski, chef and owner at Nosh in Lake City. “Attending farmers markets is key.”
During the summer, roughly 90 percent of Nosh’s contemporary American and Mediterranean menu is made of locally grown produce, locally raised meats and dairy direct from farms in Minnesota and Wisconsin. In fact, the farm-fresh produce dictates what customers will find in Nosh’s dining room.
“If I can only get a couple of pounds of tomatoes, then when they’re done, they’re done,” Jaworski says.
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Apr 20, 2012
rooting around
If you have events or news to submit for inclusion in the ‘rooting around’ section, please contact Radish Editor Heather Thorstensen at hthorstensen@radishmagazine.com.
Rain Barrel Workshop
Date: April 28, 2012
Time: 1 p.m.
Cost: $40 per barrel
Event location: Environmental Learning Center
5354 Tower View Drive
Red Wing, MN 55066
Phone: (651) 388-7339
Website: www.red-wing.org/event.php?id=403
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Apr 20, 2012
profile
A Midwest Life
From Dr Pepper to Organic Valley
Article by Brian Todd
Lewis Goldstein can’t believe his eyes. An East Coaster by birth and throughout most of his life, Goldstein chucked his big-city life for the slow-paced living of Viroqua, Wis. Now he wakes up each day to rolling hills, cattle farms and the great outdoors.
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Apr 20, 2012
profile
A visit to Morocco
Jane Hardwick brings leadership and hope to rural life
Article by Brian Todd
Desert oases, street bazaars and orange trees aren’t the kinds of things most rural Minnesotans deal with. So when Jane Hardwick found herself in the middle of Morocco in February, she took notes on the Moroccan economy. After all, Hardwick has dedicated herself to learning about the issues that affect rural life, and her trip to the North African nation presented a chance to learn lessons she had never before encountered.
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Apr 20, 2012
profile
Solar youth
Learning to be a leader
Article by Debi Neville
Her name might be synonymous with solar panels on Byron High School but Emily Schick states “there is a lot more to the story.” She explains in her answers below.
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Apr 20, 2012
environment
A history of Earth Day
Earth Day is April 22
Article by Jodeen Wink
It has been 42 years since the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. Why do we celebrate Earth Day? What does it mean? How did it originate?
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Apr 20, 2012
profile
A better way to live
Making the world healthier one plant at a time
Article by Suzie Stier-Waletzki
Transplanted to a new school in September, Dylen Douangmychit is finding new growth working with verdant vegetables.
Dylen, a Rochester native, is now enrolled in the Area Learning Center at the Educational Service Center in Rochester. He is working in the Golden Hill Garden Project.
“Before I started here I was at Mayo High School,” states Dylen. “I really like it here a lot.”
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Apr 20, 2012
health & fitness
Tips from a pro
How to improve your cardiovascular health
Article by Simon Zais
Jogging to Northgate Health Club from my house is pretty easy. Especially when it’s nice out. Jogging while worrying about a voice recorder falling out of my sweatshirt is a little trickier. By the time I show up to meet with personal fitness trainer Casey Wilson, I am pretty pumped about our interview. After a couple reschedules, we finally set on a time and date for me to come in and take her class as well as do the interview.
When I say class, don’t get the wrong idea, it’s not a lecture or a seminar. It’s an aerobics class called X-PLODE.
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Apr 20, 2012
environment
Making a difference
Group explains why water matters
Article by Debi Neville
“Water, water everywhere, and nary a drop to drink.” So goes the old adage. But that is exactly what Water Matters does NOT want to happen.
“We don’t mean to be alarmists,” says Gael Entriken, an activist, volunteer, enthusiastic proponent of education about water, beyond compare. “But people need to pay attention now, stop procrastinating and do something now.”
Water Matters is an organization that includes representatives from a long list that reads like a who’s who of environmental awareness.
This includes:
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Apr 20, 2012
eating well
Four rhubarb recipes
Grow with it, cook with it, savor it
Gluten-Free Rhubarb Crisp
Rhubarb crisp is one of the easiest recipes to make gluten-free. Simply substituting the flour with quick-cooking tapioca works to thicken the fruit. The balsamic vinegar adds a bit of pizzazz and mellows the tart. The best part is those who need a gluten-free option can enjoy the same dessert as those who don’t and they will never know it’s any different!
INGREDIENTS:
Butter (for the dish)
1 1/2 quarts fresh strawberries, hulled (halved, if large)
4 to 5 firm stalks strawberry-red rhubarb, trimmed and sliced
(enough to make 4 cups)
1 cup light dark sugar...More »
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Apr 20, 2012
body, mind & soul
Tae Kwon Do discipline
Kun Yoo Park, grand master instructor
Article by Simon Zais
It was already a good day. Sixty degrees in March is a pretty sweet deal, and as I walk into the Park Institute in Rochester to meet with Grand Master Park, I am greeted with friendly smiles from a grown man coming in to train, a couple children who looked excited to see me and the gentleman sitting behind the front desk.
“I’m here for an interview with Grand Master Park,” I say quietly, thumbing my phone to silent before looking back at him.
“Follow me.”
We walk to the back room where he instructs me to sit.
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Apr 20, 2012
gardens
A handful of hope
Eggshell seedlings inspire one family with their promise
Article by Sherri Gragg
For weeks, I collect eggshells. I collect them as the earth freezes hard, the snow falls and the birds struggle to find a thawed place in the fountain for a drink.
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Mar 06, 2012
environment
Yes, you can!
How to recycle everything
Article by Debi Neville
IT IS A COMMON DILEMA: You want to clean the closets and purge the garage and basement. You want to recycle, you try to recycle, but sometimes you don’t know if you can! The answer is yes! Well, almost everything! These are some hints at how and where to rid yourself of the pesky things that are not glass, aluminum or newspaper.
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Mar 06, 2012
education
Cultivating youth
Lincoln Sprouts are learning to grow from the ground up
Article by Suzie Stier-Waletzki
A program that started about 17 years ago at Rochester’s Lincoln K-8 Choice School has really taken root.
The program is called “Lincoln Sprouts,” and it cultivates awareness and understanding in the botany and business fields.
“This program started many years ago with a former Lincoln teacher who did a garden project,” explained Andi Harmon, teacher at Lincoln K-8 Choice School. “After a couple years she moved on, and Ginelle Robertson and I changed its concept for our grade level and it evolved into Lincoln Sprouts.”
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Mar 06, 2012
good business
Change is good
Passing the torch at the RFDM
Article by Jodeen Wink
There’s a few inches of new snow on the ground, and it’s cold outside. But it’s cozy in my house as I visit with two friends: Kari Dunn and David Kotsones (pronounced, cut-so-nis). We listen to Bon Iver and sip coffee and green tea. My cat, Lucy, jumps onto Kotsones’ lap. She’s obviously fallen in love. Dunn and Kotsones talk about the upcoming changes in both of their lives. On March 1, Dunn will hand over the reigns and responsibilities as manager of the Rochester Downtown Farmers Market (RFDM) to Kotsones.
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Mar 06, 2012
environment
It's a matter of time
Ed Hayes discusses emerald ash borer
Article by Brian Todd
If you enjoy a nice shady walk down the street, you may have to start picking your path a bit more carefully. Ash trees will soon be disappearing and there’s little we can do about it.
“It’s going to be a big landscape issue,” said Ed Hayes, a plant pathologist and entomologist who spent 31 years working for the Minnesota DNR. “This will cost a lot of money to fix.”
Hayes is talking about the spread of the emerald ash borer beetle, an invasive species that is slowly making its way across southeastern Minnesota. The insect attacks green, white and black ash trees.
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Mar 06, 2012
handmade
Fragile design
The ancient art of the carved egg
Article by Debi Neville
The art itself is estimated to be over 600,000-years-old, older than ceramics with artists probably using stones for their tools. Nick Poleschuk of Rochester has been at it 17 years. Egg carving, that’s what we are talking about and when you see examples of his work, you know the ancient ones could not compare.
In 1995, Nick began woodworking and wood carving. While participating in a Twin Cities workshop, he saw a demonstration where the artist was using a high-speed engraver. Poleschuk noticed it was very versatile and allowed the artist to do much more detailed work than he had imagined.
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Mar 06, 2012
health & fitness
Hit the road
10 tips for getting ready for bike season
Article by Simon Zais
Brakes
Check your breaks. This should seem obvious, but think about the last time you did it. Chances are it’s been way too long. It only takes a couple minutes, and they’re vital to cycling safety. As far as cheap ways to make a safer, more enjoyable ride, this is at the top of the list. Brakes vary in price, but it shouldn’t cost more than $70 for top-of-the-line stuff.
Tires...More »
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Mar 06, 2012
grower
Bountiful harvests
Chestnuts weathered in the storm
Article by Suzie Stier-Waletzki
Known as the “queen of the forest,” the American chestnut flourished across eastern America in the 19th century. Today these majestic trees live mostly in memory.
“The American chestnut was native to the eastern United States from Maine to Illinois,” said Mary Ellen Frame, co-owner, grounds-keeper and tenant of Larchill Farm of Northfield, Minn. “It was said that before European settlers began lumbering, a squirrel could jump from chestnut tree to chestnut tree, never touching the ground all the way from Maine to Illinois.”
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Mar 06, 2012
good people
For the love of cycling
Pedal with friends, family and Matt Hawkins
Article by Simon Zais
Matt and I got together for coffee and an interview on a cloudy Tuesday. I’m not really sure what I was expecting, but he looks (and is) refreshingly normal. No excessive tattoos, no mohawk or Ed Hardy shirt. In fact, had he not e-mailed me what he was going to be wearing to the interview, I never would have picked him out of the torrents of people streaming in and out of the coffee shop.
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Mar 06, 2012
health
Be healthy first
Weight loss isn't just one thing
Article by Brian Todd
If you’re still trying to lose weight the old-fashioned way — picking a food category to avoid, hitting the gym whenever you can find the time — Diane Briese wants you to stop. No, she’s doesn’t secretly want you to be chunky. Briese just wants you to be healthy first, and simply let the weight loss happen.
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Mar 06, 2012
gardens
Cold frame of mind
Winter visions at the urban garden
Article by Jodeen Wink
As the sun grows stronger in the sky, I am filling pots for starts of rosemary, lavender and a host of herbs. They’ll get a warm, moist bed in the house, but by March, they’ll be moved into the greenhouse. And by April, the greenhouse will be stuffed full. There is never enough space.
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Mar 06, 2012
eating well
Snow ice cream
A modern mom's spin on an old-fashioned treat
Article by Rachel Morey Flynn
When winter started, my 8-year-old daughter wanted to make snow ice cream. Badly. She watched the weather forecast every night, and like a lot of adults, expressed frustration when the predictions proved incorrect. “What are they even doing? Just making this stuff up for fun? They say it’s going to snow — and then it doesn’t!” reported Victoria, on her third trip into the kitchen to gain some sympathy for her plight.
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Mar 06, 2012
gardens
Every seed has a story
Seed Savers Exchange brings variety to gardens
Article by Brian Todd
How does your garden grow? For Kari Grabowsky of Rochester, it grows with heirloom plants.
“I mostly get tomatoes,” said Grabowski, who moved to Minnesota from California. “Back home, you usually get heirloom seeds instead of the seeds from the counter at the store.”
Grabowsky said she likes the heirloom seeds because the fruits — and vegetables — of her labor turn out better than the items you find at your local supermarket.
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Nov 18, 2011
Community weaving
Time Trader, a really neat concept that connects people and unmet needs with untapped resources, is enabling individuals to use their everyday skills to benefit a network of people.
This is an organized exchange system through which members earn Time Dollars (TD$) for time spent helping other members. One hour of service earns one TD$. Members can “buy” hours of service they want or need with TD$. A wonderful part of this arrangement is that all time and service are valued equally. Engineers and bakers, seamstress and carpenters, an hour is an hour is an hour....More »
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Nov 18, 2011
The sound of silence
We live fast, noisy lives facilitated by loud machines. High-speed expressways roar through towns. Cell phone conversations are everywhere. Our homes are a symphony of digital beeps, from the computer to the dishwasher. We barely notice lawn mowers and chain saws — noises that would have made our ancestors jump and run....More »
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Nov 18, 2011
Holiday feasting
The chill in the air and changing leaf color may signal hunting season for my son, but for me … it signals baking season!
And I admit — I am anticipating a wee nibble at the holiday table. A teensy taste of this … a slight sip of that … a skimpy sampling of the other … I’m conjuring up images of roast turkey, stuffing, sweets and pies....More »
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Nov 18, 2011
Get on the bus
Want to travel but have more time than money? Megabus might be right for you. It’s the first low-cost inter city express bus line “dedicated to bringing high-quality travel to 42 cities in North America for as low as $1 via the internet.”
Don’t pack your bags yet. But get the suitcase out of the closet and the Internet fired up; here’s the scoop on one of the area’s newer travel hits....More »
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Nov 18, 2011
From golden to green
A restaurant known for its burgers and fries isn’t the place you’d expect to find a “green” revolution happening, but the McDonald’s restaurant at 1306 Apache Drive is about to reopen as the most eco-friendly fast food establishment in Southeastern Minnesota.
Wendy Lommen, who along with her husband Rick, owns and operates Courtesy Corporation, a company that runs 44 McDonald’s in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin, said the change is all part of McDonald’s Environmental Sustainability Plan....More »
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Nov 18, 2011
Bringing in the harvest
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Nov 18, 2011
2011 Holiday Green Gift Guide
When you give this holiday season, don’t forget to give back to Mother Earth. While modern consumerism — and Christmas may be the epicenter of buying — may not be the most earth-friendly activity, that doesn’t mean there aren’t great gift ideas that can save the planet … one present at a time.
Wild Ginger Boutique
320 S. Main St., Zumbrota, MN 55992
(507) 732-4123
www.shopwildginger.com
Food
Fair Trade Coffee: Keep farmers around the world employed on cup of coffee at a time. $10.95.
Accessories...More »
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Nov 18, 2011
Do you Freecycle?
The best way to recycle is to Freecycle. While Freestyle is only a word, not affiliated with a particular person or national organization, it’s a group of folks who got together with a like-minded philosophy: They believe in helping the environment and aim to keep useful goods out of the landfills.
It’s an organization that benefits both parties: Those with unwanted “stuff” and those who can find a use for it.
When the kids have outgrown their clothes, and baby is no longer in the crib (or you are sorting through games, toys or puzzles) think Freecycle. ...More »
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Nov 18, 2011
Healthy currency
It wasn’t so long ago when I went to the Rochester Downtown Farmers Market (RDFM) that I found delicious, fresh food, but there were only a couple of ways I could pay for it: 1) cash, or 2) a check — both of which were inconvenient for me. Like so many people whose payroll is direct deposited into financial institutions, I had to withdraw cash from my account to be ready to shop at the market. But, as I recently learned, those days are over. Cash and checks are only two of several currencies that can now be spent at the RDFM.
Vouchers, Credit, Debit, and EBT Cards = Green and Red Tokens....More »
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Sep 01, 2011
A smart ride
In August, during a respite from the heat, I took my first pedicab ride. What is a pedicab? Well, it’s a two-seater conveyance reminiscent of a horse-drawn carriage, except that instead of a horse, there’s a 24-gear pedal bike powered by a human. It even has brake lights. Rochester entrepreneur Miguel Valdez was my driver and chauffer. I was the very first customer for his new business, which he calls the Smart Ride Ecotaxi. ...More »
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Sep 01, 2011
Healthy teaching
If you walk around to the back of Golden Hill School in Southeast Rochester you’ll find a lush half-acre organic vegetable garden, raised beds of strawberries and herbs, a good-sized hoop house for growing winter greens, hive boxes of honey bee colonies, an apple tree, and — no garden should be without this — a towering trebuchet (think catapult). Why a catapult in the garden, you ask? To launch zucchinis, of course. ...More »
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Sep 01, 2011
Geo-thermal marriage
The 1888 farm home has seen fads come and go. There were the new-fangled electric lights, then the central heating system, indoor plumbing and outrageous kitchen appliances like a dishwasher and microwave. But it seems to have settled quite well into the 21st Century....More »
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Sep 01, 2011
Checking in
New vendors at the Rochester Downtown Farmers Market rejoice! The inspector is coming. And she’s really nice.
The Farmers Market promises shoppers a plethora of locally-grown produce and other products such as meats, dairy and locally-made crafts. Ensuring that all goods are grown or raised by the vendor selling them is Kari Dunn and her team of inspectors.
“It’s really more of a farm visit than an inspection,” said Dunn, playing down any notion of her staff checking under every chicken and hay bale in Southeastern Minnesota looking for farmers market cheaters....More »
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Sep 01, 2011
In their lifetime
Until recently, my own discourse about climate change followed a schizophrenic pattern. In public, I spoke boldly. Meanwhile, inside my own household, I followed a strict code of silence, underlain by my personal credo that childhood should be a time of wonderment and make-believe, not for conversation about catastrophe.
Here is one of my early memories: I was playing in the family room after dinner while a TV anchor reported the war news. When I looked up at the screen, I saw a Vietnamese child on fire. My father then stood up, walked over to the television set, clicked it off, and left the room. And my mother said that it was time to get ready for bed. Was that the parent I was becoming?...More »
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Sep 01, 2011
In the knapsack
We all know about the woes of wasting paper and killing trees. As millions of students start school, however, paper isn’t the only thing in their backpacks taking a toll on the environment. From lunch bags to crayons to clothing, we can all make greener choices. And it’s easier than you think.
Art Bettis, father of two and academic coordinator for the environmental science program at the University of Iowa, says, “The first bit of advice I’d have for everyone is to try to reuse things and buy things that are durable so you don’t have to buy new every time.”...More »
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Sep 01, 2011
Forging metal into art
Just a few miles south of Spring Valley, near the Iowa border, Borderline Forge is heating up.
Nineteen-year-old James Ness has had a keen interest in blacksmithing since his elementary school years. Now, more than a decade later, he has forged a link with the age-old art and created a successful and gratifying hobby using recycled metal.
“When I was less tall (young), I enjoyed watching blacksmiths demonstrate at threshing and rendezvous shows,” explained Ness, proprietor of Borderline Forge. “My dad bought an old forge when I was in elementary school which we tinkered with occasionally. I got hooked!”...More »
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Sep 01, 2011
Healing touch
Reiki master Kathleen Stier, of Mazeppa, feels most happy and complete when she is helping others; her healing touch is a gift she delights in sharing.
“Reiki is a natural therapy. It relaxes the mind, body and spirit and balances energy. It promotes healing,” explained Kathleen. “The word itself means ‘spiritually guided life force energy’ and it brings harmony to the body as a whole.”...More »
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Sep 01, 2011
Great recipes
“Diet is destiny. We want people to be intentional and thoughtful about what they consume. There are so many health conditions that can be avoided or mitigated by eating a healthy diet,” said Scott Richardson, director of community relations at Northfield Hospital & Clinics....More »
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Sep 01, 2011
The mind's eye
On a recent trip back to my home state of Iowa, I attended my brother’s wedding. It brought back memories of my own. When my wife and I were married by the justice of the peace, it took a while to get the ceremony started. Why? My aunt and grandma were too busy looking at the Polaroids they had just taken instead of the actual event.
I have always thought without a camera you look harder and try harder to remember. At my brother’s wedding I didn’t take a camera but a sketchbook instead. I made several drawings of my mom and dad in their hotel room. I drew my wife several times in a cafe and my daughter at her uncle’s house....More »
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Sep 01, 2011
Tyvek, take two
It’s used to wrap homes during construction. It’s also a sturdy mailing envelope. It can be a tote bag, an identification wristband, a banner, a map. A race bib, a lamp shade, a camping ground cloth or a hoodie.
Tyvek is used for all of these things, and more.
Crafters are finding new ways to work with this lightweight, strong material in part because it has fabric-like qualities. A stroll through online crafting blogs shows artists crafting Tyvek into beads, and sewing, weaving and knitting it. They’re adding heat to warp it into unusual shapes.
Reusing Tyvek — which is made from polyethylene, a plastic — also helps keep it out of landfills....More »
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Jul 21, 2011
From cows to blooms
Folks who peruse the Rochester Downtown Farmers Market usually think of vendor Melissa King as the sweet lady with the fresh produce and lovely flowers. But King knows her greens and blooms would never make it to market if it wasn’t for those cows.
With 90-head of dairy cattle on her 240-acre Spring Valley farm, King makes a living off those cows. But between morning and evening milkings — the hoofed ladies head to the barn twice a day to be relieved of their lactose — King spends time on her plants, including her famous peonies....More »
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Jul 21, 2011
Fragile recycling
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Jul 21, 2011
The hierarchy of waste
You take your garbage to the curb. The garbage truck picks it up. You wipe your hands and get on with your life, but your waste has a life of its own. Your waste is sorted. It may be mashed, burned down to its basic elements, or buried whole in a deep plastic cell, where it will stay until … who knows? It might be processed, shipped, and sold locally, or on the other side of the world where it will be reformed into products and sold again. It might go directly into the community for reuse, or be turned into energy for your home or job. ...More »
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Jul 21, 2011
Living the dream
I signaled a right turn and headed east on County Road 8 out of Spring Valley. A half-mile later, my little hometown burg was out of sight in my rearview mirror.
My destination lay seven miles ahead, in some of Southeastern Minnesota’s most picturesque country. Taking in the vastness and beauty, I arrived and pulled into the drive with the sign that bid me welcome....More »
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Jul 21, 2011
Unexpected journey
It’s the end of June and summer has finally arrived, delivering a picture-perfect evening. I am headed to the Hermitage Farm Center for Healing located on the edge of northwest Rochester in a lovely wooded area. I park the car and walk the winding path to the entry of the center. It’s a quiet evening, and the birds are beginning to sing their night song.
I am greeted by Lisa, the owner of the center, who welcomes me and offers a cleansing. I stand silent, while the powers that come from the ancient ritual of smoking sage purify me and my spirit....More »
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Jul 21, 2011
Yes, you can!
As vegetable plots across Southeastern Minnesota begin to bloom, backyard gardeners have a big decision to make: Do you eat all the summer’s fresh produce now or save some for later? For those folks who want to enjoy the fruits (and veggies) of their labors — or the produce they buy from local growers — well past harvest time, it is vital to learn the do’s and don’ts of canning....More »
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Jun 30, 2011
First Annual Healthy Living Fair a success!
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Jun 13, 2011
Can't beat the blues!
Blue as a summer sky, naturally sweet, versatile, a luscious addition to the simplest muffins and pancakes, and the star of sophisticated chutneys and glazes for meat, fish and poultry: What else tops the blueberry? As if these qualities weren’t enough, we now learn these gorgeous blues are a powerful health food – one of our best, in fact.
If you want to retain your memory, try a blueberry. Lower your risk factors for some cancers? Make blueberries part of your regular diet. How about a great natural source of antioxidants for optimum health? That’s right, true blues....More »
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Jun 13, 2011
Eco-friendly bouquets
Whether you have a large garden filled with flowers or a few containers bursting with blooms, you can create gorgeous floral arrangements to decorate your home or deliver to your friends on special occasions. As a bonus, you can ensure that your own locally-grown flowers are raised in an environmentally-friendly way.
“You don’t need a big garden to have enough flowers to make a floral arrangement,” says Joyce Gauger, an Iowa State University Extension Master Gardner from Muscatine County, Iowa. “In fact, less can be more.”...More »
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Jun 13, 2011
Knowing who grows your food
Kelly Davidson does not mind being the “new kid on the block,” or rather in the market. Her Prosper Valley Farms, of Wykoff, has been selling at the Chatfield and Lanesboro Farmers Markets since 2004. But this is her first year in Rochester.
After attending horticulture classes at RCTC, just for fun, she said, Davidson decided to get out of the office and start playing in the dirt.
From Rochester originally, the city girl moved to the country in 2003....More »
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Jun 13, 2011
Saving money, saving energy
Investing in energy-efficient technology is a smart way to lower your energy bill and, of course, help protect the environment. But did you know that energy-efficient furnaces, washers and dryers, water heating systems and other appliances can also be eligible for rather large rebates, saving you hundreds of dollars?
Operating in 51 counties and serving approximately 210,000 residential and business customers throughout the state, Minnesota Energy Resources offers a Residential Rebate Program for homeowners and renters. It includes a variety of money-saving energy rebates, programs and information to help customers conserve energy. ...More »
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Jun 13, 2011
Go Green with Rochester City Lines
Rochester City Lines is a family owned and operated business. Radish spoke with second-generation owner, Dan Holter, about the bus line you see zipping people around Rochester, bringing happy mass transit riders to their jobs in our city.
Q: How old is Rochester City Lines?...More »
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Jun 13, 2011
Ready ... set ... grow!
Rochester’s Downtown Farmers Market (RDFM) is growing and growing. The 26-week season, from the first weekend of May through the final weekend of October, is attracting an increasing number of vendors and shoppers. Why the increase in interest?
The road that most food today travels from field to kitchen is, on average, 1,500 miles. The result is greater expense, less flavor, loss of nutrients and a much shorter shelf live once it’s in your home....More »
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Jun 13, 2011
Three to grow and eat
There’s nothing that adds zest to summer meals like herbs plucked fresh from the garden.
Each year I grow 15 to 20 different herbs, selecting them on a whim and by the offerings at the local garden center. But my summer go-to herbs are basil and cilantro, along with year-round favorite, thyme....More »
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Jun 13, 2011
Meet the trash lady
“I’m the Steele County Trash Queen, as you can see.
I’m here to rap about our community.
You see, we’ve got a problem and that problem is trash.
If you throw things in the garbage, it’s like throwing away cash!”
Thus begins the self-written rap sung by Trash Queen, Mary Overlee Olson, 19-year recycling coordinator for Steele County Environmental Services, Owatonna, Minn....More »
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Jun 13, 2011
Rooting around
Seed Savers Exchange annual conference July 15-17
Workshop leaders include experts in the gardening world.
The 31st annual Seed Savers Exchange conference will be held July 15-17 in Decorah, Iowa. This year’s conference will include over 30 workshops on gardening, farming and seed saving and includes field tours, a seed swap, a garden party and a barn dance. Workshop presenters include many experts in the seed saving world such as Will Bonsall, Glenn Drowns and Suzanne Ashworth.
Kids’ activities include the Dig & Discover program, an exploratory education experience for children ages 6 years and older (pre-registration required)....More »
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Jun 13, 2011
Healing the body
Dr. Ed LeQuire, certified chiropractor and owner of Inner Strength Chiropractic, has recently joined forces with Linda Parker and moved his practice under the umbrella known as Synergy Rejuvenation Clinic. The Rochester business partners offer services including chiropractic care, yoga, massage and lipolaser weight loss. Radish Magazine sat down with LeQuire and Parker to discuss their business and their philosophy.
Radish: Dr. Ed, about a month ago you brought your practice to Synergy. Why?
...More »
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Jun 13, 2011
Ouch!
The mosquito bites, the callouses, the scrapes and the bandages: They’re all part of the gardener’s hard-won wardrobe, but gee, they stink.
When gardening goes wrong – when you touch the poison ivy or throw out your back – it can make even the most determined green-thumber want to throw in the towel.
Don’t give up. Instead, check out these tips for making outdoor chores easier and safer.
Aches, pains and unnecessary strains
Preparing for a garden workout – and that’s what gardening is – can decrease the likelihood of injury or strain....More »
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Jun 13, 2011
Recipe for simplicity
“Simplify, simplify.” More than a century after Henry David Thoreau uttered these words, his plea for simplicity has more significance now than ever before. We work hard and play hard, filling nearly every moment with activity. Most families believe they need two incomes to pay for a standard of living that has doubled in the last 50 years. But do we?
Based on my three-year study of over 200 people who have simplified their lives, I found that we can work less, want less and spend less and be happier and more fulfilled in the process....More »
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Jun 13, 2011
Bad knees, open mind
I’m an exercise physiologist, so you’d think I’d have no problem listening to my own advice — particularly about giving my worn-out knees a break and trading in running for a gentler form of exercise. But it took two colleagues to help enlighten me about an appropriate form of exercise, toward which I was close-minded.
First, a little background: I have jogged ever since I graduated from college in the early 1980s. Not that I was any type of Forrest Gump, but I had been running in sports my whole life. As a result, I ran the cartilage ragged in my knee — twice....More »
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Apr 04, 2011
Hit the road!
Summer vacation may yet be months away, but it’s not too early to start planning a trip. For travelers interested in some earth-friendly R&R, the Midwest has many opportunities to unwind without unduly taxing the planet. Curious as to just what a Midwestern eco-vacation might entail, we picked up the phone and called a few green destinations, all within one tank of gas of Radishland. Here’s what we found out.
Moonstone Farm
Montevideo, Minn....More »
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Apr 04, 2011
Upcycled eggs
I confess, I love to dye eggs. But who hasn’t at one point or another had a frustrating experience with the kits? The cups of dye that are so easily spilled. The one cup to one color ratio that leads to sibling arguments over who gets blue next and who is hogging yellow. And those precarious metal dipper rings, hard to manage for little hands.
Fortunately, alternatives exist. Here are two projects that allow you to make use of materials that might otherwise get thrown away, resulting in colorful eggs with a lot of visual appeal.
Scrap-dyed eggs
Materials:
• Silk shirts or ties...More »
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Apr 04, 2011
The call of rhubarb
Singing the praises of rhubarb has turned into an unexpected vocation for four women in Lanesboro, Minn. who call themselves the Divine Rhubarb Committee. They have produced a cookbook, Everything Rhubarb; Recipes and Stories From a Small Town That Celebrates Rhubarb.
With the help of many volunteers, the women, Nancy Martinson (known as the Top Stalk), Heidi Dybing (The Root), Jennifer Wood (Newest Stalk), and Mary Bell (Tallest Stalk) created the wonderful little book....More »
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Apr 04, 2011
Teach green
April 22 marks the 41st anniversary of Earth Day, the late Gaylord Nelson’s way of organizing a national environmental cleanup.
Drawing inspiration from the student anti-war protests of the time, Nelson, a Wisconsin Senator, decided it would be better for people to act locally than for the government to shepherd a sit-in type of political action. And so on April 22, 1970, they did just that – turning off all electricity for 20 minutes, among other activities....More »
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Apr 04, 2011
Think green
The slogan for Earth Day 2011 is, “A Billion Acts of Green,” involving personal, organizational and corporate pledges to live and act sustainability. With 45 million actions to date, the campaign is the largest environmental service campaign in the world.
The Good Food Store Co-op and the non-profit organization RNeighbors, both of Rochester, will be doing more than their share to contribute to that cause. On Saturday, April 16 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., they are sponsoring the Think Green Fair. The event will be held at the Good Food Store Co-op, 1001 6th St. NW, just off Civic Center Drive and south of Barlow Plaza....More »
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Apr 04, 2011
Incomparably fresh
The first day of spring has come and gone, even though it’s still pretty hard to tell. But to get your mind off the mud and muck, you might want to start thinking about this year’s garden. And now’s as good a time as any to start thinking about veggies as well as flowers....More »
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Apr 04, 2011
Oasis in the wetlands
The building seemed to rise up out of the wetlands, an architecturally unique structure, that one day was not there, and a short time later seemed complete. For people who frequently drive on Rochester’s 19th St. NW, or on Valley High Drive, it was a point of curiosity. Most wondered and watched and waited.
Cascade Meadow Wetlands and Environmental Science Center, located at 2900 19th St., sits interestingly in what appears to be the middle of nowhere encircled by a marsh. But in looking closer, one finds an incredible gift....More »
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Feb 25, 2011
Getting back in balance
“I recognize the need for people of all incomes and backgrounds to have access to acupuncture, people who don’t have high incomes and cannot pay $60 to $100 per treatment,” Deah (rhymes with Leah) Kinion says. That’s why she recently opened The Abundant Chi Community Acupuncture Clinic at 608 2nd St. SW in Rochester.
...More »
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Feb 16, 2011
Jittery for java
Between my hands, I cradle a warm cup of decaf – my least favorite thing in the warm beverage department.
Sometimes that cup holds tea. White tea with raspberry. China green tips. Goji berry green tea. Mint. An herbal tea that’s supposed to open up my intuition, insight and imagination. Another one, a white lotus, that’s to help me with wisdom, spirit, connection. I love, love, love Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice....More »
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Feb 16, 2011
Environmental getaways
OK, it’s cold outside. Very cold. But don’t let that stop you. We are, after all, hearty midwesterners, and our great state offers more than its fair share of opportunities to get out and about and enjoy the fabulous chilliness of the winter season.
Active? Passive? No matter, there’s a whole host of events and destination spots designed to offer you a good time, as well as bring you into closer contact with our beautiful natural environment and your own inner peace.
Skiing...More »
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Feb 16, 2011
A gal and her goats
Got goat milk?
Loretta Olivier does.
The 24-year-old of rural Chatfield has recently combined her creativity, love of goats and desire to live more naturally with her family to open her new business: The Milk Lady.
“The Milk Lady is a healthy alternative to living clean,” said Loretta. “I use the goat milk to make all natural soaps, body butter and lip balm. It’s healthy and good for the earth. I feel safer with my family’s well being and if I can help another family — well, that’s what I’m aiming for.”...More »
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Feb 16, 2011
The possibilties of discards
She’s all about reinvention and recycling. From herself, when she found herself unemployed last April after working at Mayo Clinic many years, to the materials she uses for her new cottage industry, Beaver Lake Creations, Merilyn Walters is all about repurposing.
Always a busy person, Walters knew she couldn’t sit around waiting for something to happen when she found herself without a job, so she began to look for ideas that could keep her busy, work out of her home and earn some money as well....More »
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Feb 16, 2011
Guiding the spirit
Scott Ellis, the noted Broadway director, once defined spiritual clarity as recognizing moments in life bigger than our own self. The ability to recognize those moments, however, can be a challenge.
After all, we are busy people, and our lives, families and careers
demand vast portions of our time and energy. To step away from everything, to assess the self and our own spiritual needs (and that is not always religiously-based, as Mr. Ellis’s definition contends) is perhaps more important than we realize....More »
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Nov 02, 2010
Four-legged Fiber Mills
A decade ago, Sarah Balser and Cherol McManus were raising organic chickens for eggs and meat on their small acreage between Cannon Falls and Red Wing, Minn. Wanting a more humane livestock operation, they began to consider a South American member of the camel family – the alpaca. Their inquiries led them to establish Ahjoomas Alpaca Farm, where they currently provide daily care for their 17 individually-named alpacas (and several others whose owners board them there). The women have a cottage industry selling alpaca wool and the winter clothing made from it.
...More »
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Nov 02, 2010
To The Dump
Empty aerosol cans, left over paint, out-of-date pesticides, old thermostats. If you’re anything like me you probably have a few of these products sitting around in the far corner of your garage collecting dust. That’s probably because you don’t have the time to get rid of the waste properly, or because you don’t know what to do with it all (in my case, both).
The solution to this is actually quite easy and quick.
For the past couple of weeks I have been working on cleaning out the garage, and I found a big surplus of these products just lying around waiting to be taken to the “dump.”
...More »
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Nov 02, 2010
Radish's 2010 "Green" Holiday Gift Guide
Make this a “green” holiday by giving recycled and organic gifts. Simple, easy and environmentally responsible. Plus, by giving green you help increase the awareness of the importance of being earth friendly. Items are found down the street and as close as the web. Think outside the box and you’ll have that shopping list in the bag! So where do you go? Well, here are more than a few ideas:
Clothing and Jewelry
Wild Ginger
320 South Main, Zumbrota, Minn.
(507) 732-4123, www.shopwildginger.com
Featuring fair trade, eclectic women’s clothing and shoes, as well as green goods.
Tired Ol’ Belts
Various retailers in Minneapolis, Minn. ...More »
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Nov 02, 2010
The Organic Holiday Table
When entertaining for the upcoming holidays, many of us pull out grandma’s old recipe for giblet stuffing and turkey. This year, why not shake it up? Consider cooking a flavorful and nutritious meal beginning with ingredients that come from ethical and sustainable resources. Create an increased awareness in your home and community about the health benefits and better tasting dishes of cooking green. (Yes, I’m talking organic.) Green is not just for salad anymore.
To provide you with an outstanding menu, we’ve asked for help from regional restaurants known for developing recipes made with the freshest, healthiest ingredients; most are purchased locally.
...More »
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Nov 02, 2010
A Girl and Her Sled
Her sense of adventure has taken her kayaking in the Apostle Islands, canoeing in the Boundary Waters, and Christmas Camping in the Irish Wilderness in Missouri. Yet 17-year-old Alice Snyder, a Senior at Century High School in Rochester, finds great adventure nearer to home.
Balancing her time between school, band (she plays the clarinet and the e-flat Contra Alto clarinet) Girl Scouts for eight years (she’s a member of the independent branch called Juliets), a brown belt in Taikwondo and a very active volunteer at Rideability, Snyder knows about time management and yet recently took on a new project.
...More »
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Nov 02, 2010
Apples, Berries and Much More
It’s commonly believed that apples cannot be grown organically in Minnesota’s climate, but one Rochester orchard owner is giving it a try. Fred Kappauf, owner of Sekapp Orchard and Farms, has had plenty of experience with apple trees. While developing an organic orchard, he continues to produce 20 varieties of apples with minimal chemical use, as well as other fruits and vegetables – something he has been doing for nearly two decades.
...More »
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Nov 02, 2010
Have A Grape Experience ...
If you’ve been searching for locally-produced organic wine to accompany your grass-fed beef, your wish may soon be fulfilled. You can look forward to the time when you decant wine made from grapes grown by Peter Shortridge and Amy Nankivil on 20 acres near Winona, Minn. The couple began their vineyard three years ago on Nankivil’s family farm. They plan to apply for organic certification this winter and take the first crop off next year.
...More »
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Nov 02, 2010
Rooting Around
If you have events or news to submit for inclusion in the ‘rooting around’ section, please contact Radish Editor Ryan Stotts at rstotts@radishmagazine.com.
Teachers, You Too Can Unleash
Your Inner Photog at the Minnesota Zoo
The Minnesota Zoo and the state Department of Natural Resources are hosting a free, four-hour digital photography workshop, “Bridge to Nature,” from 8 a.m. to noon on Nov. 13 for teachers of all subjects in grades 3 through 9....More »
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Aug 27, 2010
'Tis the season for garlic
This is the time of year when Susan Johnson can’t park her car in the garage because the place smells of garlic.
Bunches of garlic harvested in July by Johnson and her husband, Randy McLaughlin, hang in their garage in Red Wing, Minn. and in barns on the two farms where they garden, one in Goodhue County’s Featherstone Township and the other in Hager City, Wis.
It’s a small sacrifice for Johnson, who is among the growers in southeast Minnesota who sell garlic at farmers’ markets and supply it to customers in the region and beyond....More »
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Aug 27, 2010
Serving up values
Angie Taylor’s garden – a 75x20 plot outside Kari’s Restaurant, 210 Parkway Ave. North, Lanesboro, Minn. – grows quite nicely, thank you, and supplies her and her husband and co-owner, Scott, with plenty of goodies to feed their patrons. Neither of them is contrary, either. Quite the, uh, contrary, actually: The Taylors will happily chat up anyone who asks about the history and philosophy behind their newest venture....More »
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Aug 27, 2010
Extending the season
Hoop houses, movable greenhouses, quick hoops and passive solar greenhouses differ slightly in design but they accomplish the same thing: They extend the growing season.
Each design has been featured at the Southwest Research and Outreach Center in Lamberton, Minn..
While most of the season extension high- and low-tunnels are used for vegetables, studies are under way on ROCs at Morris and Grand Rapids and in on-farm studies to grow raspberries . The research is promising, said West Central ROC scientist Steve Poppe, who leads the study at Morris....More »
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Aug 27, 2010
Organic community service
If you mention community service hours to most people, picking up garbage and painting picnic tables is what comes to mind. Breaking away from that tradition, the Dodge, Fillmore and Olmsted (DFO) County Community Corrections has established The Garden Project. Participants plant, weed, harvest, sell and distribute produce from their garden. This program offers a unique opportunity for young offenders to fulfill their community service requirement as set by the judicial system.
Crystal Steinkamp, Community Work Services Coordinator, deals with offenders under 14 years of age. This presents problems and challenges but also great opportunities.
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Aug 27, 2010
The cycle of life
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Aug 27, 2010
Busy Bees
Assisi Heights in Rochester is a working colony of busy bees. Literally.
“It is such a wonder that the smallest of insects is so vital to the survival of the earth and thus humans,” said Sister Alice Thraen, resident of Assisi Heights and head bee keeper. “It is said that every third bite of food is credited to the honey bee.”
It was Albert Einstein who said that if bees were to become extinct, the human race would follow within four years.
Sister Alice works diligently to do her part to keep bees alive and well. She is also preserving the history of the land, which has always been an integral part of the life at Assisi.
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Aug 27, 2010
Chiropractic First
Many people believe that chiropractors only treat pain, but today’s lifestyle places a tremendous amount of stress on the body, mind and spirit. Dr. Nick Krause of Chiropractic First in Rochester addresses the changing face of his profession.
Q: Many think Chiropractors only treat neck and back pain, but what else do you help with?
A: Each of us is born with the ability to heal and recover from illness. Our bruises heal, cuts mend and common colds are overcome. The nervous system regulates this inborn healing ability.
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Aug 27, 2010
Youthful auctioneer
Jordan Hanson, one of 10 FFA members nationwide last year to receive the Agri-Entrepreneurship Award, has used his $1,000 monetary prize to further his education, both in college and as an auctioneer.
Getting started in the auction business is a challenge, he said. You have to build a name for yourself.
“It’s like riding a bike with two flat tires,” said Hanson, 20, of Chatfield, Minn.
People told him they’d give him a job if he went to auctioneers school.
So he did.
He graduated from Continental Auctioneers School in Mankato in July, after completing a five-day program.
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Jul 16, 2010
Grilling Green
It’s hard to resist the flavors of the grill. There’s just something about fire, smoke and sizzling protein that dares us to indulge. But anyone who’s bitten into a burger laced with lighter fluid knows that grilling isn’t always good.
The taste buds might be the first detectors that not all aspects of the outdoor-grilling scene are as savory as they seem at first sniff. The sad news? Grilling does contribute to some environmental problems. The good news? Many products out there can help make it greener.
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Jul 16, 2010
Corn, Sweet Corn
Biting into corn on-the-cob is like a mouthful of summer! It makes you want to break into a Broadway song, but wait, that was Kansas and they are known for wheat. While Iowa and corn may be synonymous, it had one too many syllables for the familiar lyrics. Our corner of the state is the country’s fourth largest corn producer. And while much of field corn goes for silage (the genteel word for livestock feed) and some of it goes for ethanol, Sweet Corn (notice the capitalization) the best corn of all, goes to your grill starting in mid summer.
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Jul 16, 2010
Rain Will Make Your Garden Grow
When it comes to the ability to make pretty (or yummy) things grow, there are two types of people: Black thumbs, who kill everything they touch, and green thumbs, who can create beauty and food in the most adverse conditions. And then there are blue thumbs.
While you’re probably not quite as familiar with that term as with the other two, blue thumbs are raingardeners – folks who make flowers and veggies grow while conserving water and attracting birds and butterflies. A two-year-old program called “Realize Raingardens Rochester,” administered by the city, provides $750 grants to residents who are willing to use their homes as raingarden test sites.
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Jul 16, 2010
A Shimmy for the Soul
A shimmy of the hips and snaking arms – and voilà! A toned midsection, focused mind and uplifted spirits?
OK, it might take a bit more work than that, but belly dancing can be a fun, satisfying way to exercise more than just the body. It’s stepping out of the box a little to learn new moves, new traditions and new ways of feeling good.
“A lot of people who do not like exercise will come to belly dancing class because it’s fun,” said dance instructor Terri Allred, owner of Rochester International Dance Studio.
PHYSICAL
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Jul 16, 2010
Take the "Tour"
If you are interested in composting, planting perennials or how to utilize a raingarden, maybe pick up tips on cooking with herbs and preparing garden vegetables, you are in luck! Mark Thursday, August 12 on your calendar and plan on attending the “Tour With the Masters.”
According to Joyce Grier, Project Coordinator, the Olmsted County Master Gardeners Garden Tour is a first time effort organized by the group.
Grier, a Master Gardener herself, said, “We wanted to involve the public in a different way, something out of the ordinary.”
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Jul 16, 2010
Geocaching: The Joy of the Treasure Hunt
Hidden within and around Rochester are 400 treasure chests, lying unprotected and waiting to be found by the few who know they exist. One might be in a hollowed-out log, another magnetically attached to the underside of a downtown bench, another underneath a fake fire hydrant. The trinkets within aren’t anything extraordinary – a troll doll, a pen, a playing card – because the real treasure is the hunt itself.
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Jul 16, 2010
Organic Delivery
Every other Tuesday, Lori McCabe begins her day early by packing boxes of colorful produce, loading them into a van and then traveling from her home in Cresco, Iowa, to Minnesota.
The owner of a small business called Natural Living, McCabe delivers the certified organic fruits and vegetables to the home or workplace of her customers who strive to eat as healthy as possible.
“The quicker I get it to my customers, the fresher it is and the longer it’s going to last for them,” McCabe says.
It makes for a long day, but that dedication to providing customers with nutritious foods is helping McCabe build her business.
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Jun 03, 2010
Soap making 101: Keeping it simple
When Shanna Wegman, 31, of Dover, Minn. started making soap out of goat milk in 2008, she was mainly interested in gifting it to friends and family.
“It was just for kicks,” Wegman said. “Just to see how it would go. They said, ‘You should think about selling this. This is some really cool stuff.’”
By March 2009 she had firmly established her own business, Simple Soaps For Simple Folks, and started playing around with multiple fragrances and essential oils.
“Let’s just say the learning curve on some days is straight up,” she said.
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Jun 03, 2010
See it. Buy it. Eat it!
What could be more beautiful than a pint of ripe strawberries basking in the morning sun at your favorite farmers’ market? Strawberries and fresh cream atop your family’s dinner table as the sun sets, of course!
Plan to rise early, grab your best basket and head to a farmers’ market this week. A world of vibrant taste awaits you there.
Follow your nose to sweet-smelling fruits. Follow your eyes to gem-like veggies. Do your body a favor and fill your basket with the goodness nature offers this time of year.
Here’s a quick shopping guide to get you started with the fresh, locally grown produce you’ll find at markets in June.
Strawberries
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Jun 03, 2010
On pins and needles
People who choose careers in the healing arts often have a defining personal health moment that set them along that path. For Marina Keppler, a former tennis coach turned acupuncturist at Riverseasons in Rochester, it was having had two significant knee surgeries by age 26.
Keppler’s orthopedist, trained in conventional Western medicine, put her on a steroid regimen. But alternative and complementary therapies were hard to come by in Keppler’s homeland of Germany. For that matter, “there were no alternative medicine schools in Europe,” she said.
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Jun 03, 2010
Master Gardeners: Teach, serve and enjoy
When she was a child, Carol Korda never dreamed she would become a Master Gardener. In fact, the dream would have been a nightmare to the girl.
“My mother was a gardener, and she would send me out there, into the garden,” Korda explained. “Fifteen minutes in the rose garden was a life sentence, but I learned gardening basics. Years later, after retiring from a career in banking, I had a desire to dabble in some other green stuff.” Thus, the gardening nightmare became a pleasant dream that came true.
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Jun 03, 2010
It's a guy thing
Grilling — is there any man who doesn’t view the summer ritual, played out on patios and balconies, in backyards and at parks, as the ultimate guy way of cooking?
My own father, for example — a man’s man who served in World War II, bowled, played horseshoes and poker and worked long hours as a newspaper editor — never ever stirred a pot on the stove. But each summer on our back porch he grilled up a storm, literally, the flames searing not only the meat but the hair on his arms and, occasionally, his eyebrows.
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Jun 03, 2010
The flavor of integrity
It’s farmers’ market season! And I just can’t wait to get out there and enjoy the abundance of everything fresh and local.
During the off-season, I get my food from a variety of markets. I have some good places and I get by. But I spend a good deal of time squinting at stickers, labels and signs for information about where my food is coming from, how it was raised and how it got to me. When I get to the farmers’ market, however, I only have to look at one thing: the hands of the farmer.
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Jun 03, 2010
Washing your car the “green” way
Washing your vehicle at home can use up to three times more water than washing at a commercial car wash, according to reports from the International Carwash Association. Washing cars at home also can lead to the runoff going right into storm drains and eventually into rivers, streams, creeks and wetlands. That process is not nearly as environmentally friendly as using a “green” car wash facility such as the two Rochester locations of Mister HotShine Car Wash & Lube Centers.
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Jun 03, 2010
Regional hiking/biking trails
The warm weather sports season in Southeastern Minnesota and surrounding areas is a brief one, as hiking and biking enthusiasts know. If you’d rather hit the trails on foot or two wheels than on skis or snowmobiles, here are some places to do it.
MINNESOTA
Fillmore and Houston Counties
Root River State Trail
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Mar 31, 2010
Local Farmers Markets
Southeastern Minnesota’s Farmers Markets
ALBERT LEA
Albert Lea Farmers Market, municipal parking lot at North Broadway Avenue and Fountain Street.
Locally grown or raised (within 35-mile radius) fruits and vegetables, beef, pork, chicken and eggs, plus maple syrup, honey, jams, jellies, baked goods, cut flowers, bedding plants, soy candles, soap, and handmade crafts.
Wednesdays, 4 to 6 p.m., and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon,
May 14 through Oct.
Information: Verlys Huntley,
(507) 297-5546.
AUSTIN
Austin Area Farmers Market, two locations (see below)....More »
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Mar 31, 2010
Radish locations
Rochester
Abundant Chi
604 2nd St. SW
Advanced Chiropractic
1724 37th St. NW
All in Vogue
32 17th Ave. NW
Alternate Healing Clinic
493 37th St. NE
Amethyst Dental Care
1751 Highway 52 N #1
Anderson Holistic Healing
119 6th St SW
Apollo Dental Center
3000 43rd St. NW
Back to Health
5233 E Frontage Rd NW
Bread Baker
16 17th Ave. NW
Broadway Dental Care
W Center Street
Brueggers
102 Elton Hills Dr. NW
Caribou Coffee
3938 Marketplace Dr. NW
Caribou Coffee
1147 2nd St. SW
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Mar 30, 2010
Getting to know where your food comes from
Running an event the size of the Rochester Downtown Farmers Market requires the tact of an ambassador, the strategic planning skills of a four-star general and coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. Just ask Kari Dunn.
Dunn, in her fourth year as the market’s director, and her assistant Sophia Muller usually are at the space on Fourth Street S.E. by 6 a.m. Saturdays to prepare for the 7:30 a.m. opening.
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Dec 31, 1969
Yoga: Outta the box
Outta the Barn owner, Dawn Sanborn, is expanding her thinking outta the box. Her established offerings will now include KundaliniYoga. Saturdays, beginning April 10, Yoga instructor, Sada Nam Kaur (also known as Dawn Buttera Gregor from barefoot yoga center) will give classes from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Outta the Barn is located in a peaceful rural setting just minutes north of 75th Street N.W. in Rochester.
“I recognize the unique benefits of yoga in general and this is a bit different, something that I think people will really benefit from. We wanted to make it a part of the wide menu of life enhancing classes and opportunities already offered,” Sanborn said.
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Mar 30, 2010
Everything old is new again
As entertainer Peter Allen pointed out in the movie All That Jazz, “don’t throw the past away – you might need it again some other rainy day, when everything old is new again.”
Although Allen may not have been amused at those song lyrics being used to refer to rain barrels, it works: The old-school, low-tech devices are making a big comeback as more people strive to conserve both water and cash.
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Mar 30, 2010
Make your baby green
How will you feed, clothe and otherwise care for your new baby? With love, of course. Turns out, you can show the earth a little love at the same time. Here are 10 great ideas for doing just that.
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Mar 30, 2010
Acts of Green
Earth Day turns 40 on April 22. To celebrate, the Earth Day Network is asking folks to visit its site, billionactsofgreen.net, to “shout” what they’re doing to help the earth. At press time, more than 5 billion acts already had been shouted. We can’t fit a billion ideas into Radish, but with the help of readers and contributors, we did come up with our own 100 Acts of Green. Read ‘em and try one for Earth Day!
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