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Nov 18, 2011
Bringing in the harvest
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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
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
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
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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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
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 $1 via the internet.”
Don’t pack your bags yet. But get the suitcase out of the closet and the Internet fired up; here’s the scoop on one of the area’s newer travel hits....More »
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Nov 18, 2011
The sound of silence
We live fast, noisy lives facilitated by loud machines. High-speed expressways roar through towns. Cell phone conversations are everywhere. Our homes are a symphony of digital beeps, from the computer to the dishwasher. We barely notice lawn mowers and chain saws — noises that would have made our ancestors jump and run....More »
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Nov 18, 2011
Community weaving
Time Trader, a really neat concept that connects people and unmet needs with untapped resources, is enabling individuals to use their everyday skills to benefit a network of people.
This is an organized exchange system through which members earn Time Dollars (TD$) 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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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!
...More »
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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
Austin
Reeve Chiropractic Clinic 308 4th Ave NW
Family Chiropractic 122 3rd Ave NW
Wellness First Chiropractic 300 Oakland Ave W
Bollingberg Chiropractic 704 Oakland Ave W
Good Earth Natural Food 120 3rd Ave NW
GNC 1301 18th Ave NW
J.C. Hormel Nature Center 1304 21st St NE
Albert Lea ...More »
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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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