Spring marks the presence of fresh vegetables. You know, the kind that didn’t grow in the ground. Artichokes, asparagus, spinach and ramps all start to make their appearance. And while Ole thinks it’s cool to grill in the middle of winter, outside with several feet of snow and a temp well below zero, I’m guessing that this is one of those things that make him stand out from the crowd. So, spring also marks the beginning of the grilling season (for the rest of the world, at... more

It’s summer in Minnesota, and that can mean many things to many people.  For me, it’s not really summer until the road side stands pop up offering cucumbers, melons, potatoes and, of course, sweet corn.  Now, it can’t be just any kind of sweet corn.  You see, I grew up spoiled.  My Uncle Duane had a farm in Southern Minnesota where he raised beef cattle, soybeans and sweet corn, and when the corn was ripe, he’d call my dad and we’d grab a stack of paper bags, head... more

When we were considering what to fill our raised bed garden with this spring, one of the things that made the list and was on the “must have” list were chub cucumbers or pickling cucumbers. Chubs are smaller cucumbers. They’re like the short, stumpy cousin to the long, lanky cucumber most of us are familiar with. If you pick them early, they look like a pickle, but if you leave them, they fill out and get this pudgy shape. They’re also a little bit firmer than your regular,... more

Jen Isham went home on The Next Food Network Star premiere this Sunday for making green beans for a room full of Food Network stars. A simple search of their recipe index reveals that they have 186 sautéd green bean recipes. This doesn’t even begin to go into the total 1201 recipes that involve green beans on the site. What they’re saying is you can make green beans, just do it at home and not for a room full of Food Network stars. In fact, you could make THESE green beans. At home.... more