MPLS Farmers Market & Cornercopia

            For my field trip I wanted to grab some fresh produce at a farmers market! I was lucky enough that it happened to be pretty warm and sunny out the day I went.  I made my way over to the Minneapolis Farmers Market on Sunday May 5^th.  I was going to go on Saturday but it was raining so I figured I would hope for better weather the next day.  I got to the market at about 11 and it wasn’t very busy, there were only a few people roaming up and down the aisles.  I think that once the weather gets nicer it will be packed with people.  I only really needed to get some greens since I had just gone grocery shopping a few days ago, and I was lucky that was all I planned on getting because there wasn’t as much produce out as I had expected.   As I was checking out some of the greens, I asked one of the people at the booth if they would have more fruit in a few weeks and he explained that in a few weeks they would have a lot more of everything.  This late winter has slowed down the farmer’s market season.         

            I also asked him how many people typically came to the market on the weekends, because I was surprised to see so few people there.  He told me it was one of the first weekends that the market was open outside and that once it warms up the place will be packed with people.  I was amazed at how many flowers were at the market.  This seemed to be the largest market at the moment.  I went in to a building that was entirely flowers and no other sellers.  I don’t typically buy flowers but they were really pretty, however they seemed a little too expensive for my taste.  Overall the market currently was made up mostly of flowers, greens, some bell peppers and some cucumbers.  I really only saw about 2 or 3 produce sellers and they all had the same types of produce.  It would be interesting to go back in a few weeks and compare the differences. 

           

I also want to post about the trip to Cornercopia we took during lecture.  I was blown away that there is so much growing that goes on right on campus! I have always seen the green houses but I had no clue about everything that goes on in them.  Even though it was cold and rainy it was really cool to see were  Cornercopia goes its produce and other crops.  I love that there is such cool opportunities for students at the University, such as this one.  I have never really known much about the crops that are grown on that land, and I always thought it was just plants grown for classes.  I think its great that they can make a profit from the land and do it in a green, organic way.  I didn't end up taking any pictures here, mainly because it was a little chilly for me and I forgot.  

Turkey Grilled Cheese

       This week after our chilly Wednesday lecture, I was in the mood for something warm for lunch.  I am not a fan of grilled cheese so I decided to make a little spin off version that included some turkey, Baby Swiss cheese and some shredded cheese as well.  I would have liked to put some avocado on it, but I am pretty sure my roommate ate mine thinking it was hers, so I just made do with what I had! 

Field Trip-Campus Club

 

For this field trip, we visited the Campus Club in Coffman. I had just been there a couple weeks before, as I was there for a banquet.

 

 

This is the view of the city from one of the banquet rooms. It would have been much prettier had the weather cooperated.

 

 

 

Here was the special for that day. As Beth said, she buys a lot of local food, tomatoes being one of them. This is the cafeteria, where members of the Campus Club. I thought it was thoughtful of Beth when she said that she tries to make food that is good for you, because there are some professors who eat there three times and week. Other restaurants would just sneak butter and salt in and not care about that.

 

 

This is Beth. She says that there are few women chefs, meaning that she lives in a man's world. haha! I can't remember what she was making, but it looked delicious! I am impressed that she can handle cooking all day and then going home to take care of her 1 year old and 3 year old kids. I give her props!

 

Pictured is the cilantro chutney, yogurt, and limes that went with our vegetable curry. The chutney was slightly spicy, but slightly sweet. It made for an interesting combination, but definitely added to the already flavorful curry. I liked how she mentioned that since they make a lot of things from scratch, they spend less on food and make their food taste so good!

 

 

Here is the view from the terrace. Apparently, they have weddings held there, which would be gorgeous because of the dual view of the city and of the campus.

 

 

At the end, we sat in the Campus Club for a little bit. I felt under dressed, but it was a nice experience.

 

Overall, I thought this was an inspiring experience. I mean Beth was in law school and wasn't happy so she started cooking. It's kind of funny because so many people think that happiness will come with success (however you define success), but in fact success comes with happiness. Just follow your heart :)

 

Challenge Recipe- Co-op Style

Well, this week I decided to go to the Eastside Co-op, since I have never shopped at it before. I was on a mission to may quesadilla's for Cinco de Mayo :p

 

I didn't use a recipe. I used my fav ingredients that I thought would taste good in a tortilla.

I used black beans, zucchini, red bell peppers, and onions (not shown).

 

I cooked the onions for a bit and then added the red pepper and zucchini.

 

I put the cheese and other ingredients on a whole wheat tortilla on the oiled pan and browned it.

 

And there you go! A tasty meal for REALLY cheap! When I went to the co-op, I noticed that the organic food there was much cheaper than the organic food at Target or Rainbow. It was also in better shape.

 

 

Cost of one serving of Quesadillas:

Red Bell Pepper $0.67

Zucchini $0.31

Beans $0.36

Tortilla $0.37

Cheese $0.63

Onion $0.25

Total: $1.96

 

For two: $5.18

 

And for dessert, baked apples! $1.24 per apple, which equals $2.48 for two.

 

For Quesadillas and baked apples for two, it cost $7.66!!!

 

I think if I did this again, I would buy ingredients for salsa and/or sour cream since I had plenty of money left over. I, also, think that this was a simple recipe and it probably would have been more difficult if I were making a more elaborate recipe.

 

 

 

 

Fieldtrip to Campus Club

Coley Aronson
Campus Club, 4th floor of Coffman Student Union, East Bank Minneapolis Campus
Tuesday April 30th, 2013

On Tuesday's lab we went to Campus Club in Coffman Student Union. Well I first showed up at Cornercopia to then realize we were actually on East bank... whoops  But as soon as I got there we had time to discuss what practices and relationships go on between the Campus Club and Cornercopia. I loved hearing about how Campus Club would buy the leftover produce but UDS would not. Just hearing about all the restrictions of UDS and the troubles of cheaper food (even if it is unhealthy). I found it fascinating that Cornercopia will be producing over 60 types of tomatoes, and that the Campus Club actually tries to utilize all of the ingredients. It's just crazy to think of all the different kinds of tomatoes (or any produce really); heirloom or not. I also liked how our dinner was made from tomatoes that were frozen and bagged, but still had such a rich flavor to them.
 The tour was fantastic! I love kitchens and watching how they run. Even though the design was not meant for a normal functioning kitchen, they really make the best with what they have. Everything tasted so fresh, even with the main sauce being a frozen product. Not to mention the food preparation and presentation was to die for. I was never a big polenta fan during lab, but the way she made them crispy was wonderful. I had three servings... The salad was also phenomenal  I was surprised by the dressing. I smelled it and was cautious about it, but I just couldn't get enough. This experience was great, I only wish I could afford a membership so I could eat there all the time. In the future I really hope that they can offer student prices, preferably before I graduate though. I know a few people left early to hear UDS talk with a new chairman (or some other high up power in the U's food chain), and I hope that the students were heard when it comes to the food we are eating. Everyone should be able to get the best food available. Especially if it better for your body. So what if Cornercopia's tomatoes are $1.50 per pound and they want $1.20, if the students want it, they should get it (since they are paying for it in the end). I was really excited when they passed out the cookbooks. I started putting tabs and stickies in it for future recipes to try and recreate. Hopefully soon I will be trying out my own seasonal sauces and tasting new exciting fruits.

The simple sauce was fantastic!!!

 A panoramic taken from our dinner table area.

From the farm to the dinner plate

For a final end of the semester trip, our class decided to tour the Student Organic Farm-Cornercopia and the Campus Club at the University of MN on Wednesday, May 1. I have never heard of either of them when I started school here. However through this class I have made a relationship with Cornercopia with my service learning opportunity and I learned about the Campus Club when we toured the club and celebrated with a final dinner as a class. The Campus Club is more of a gathering place for social and business meetings as well as receptions and dining experiences. The kitchen at the Club, who is headed by Beth, the executive chef, is committed to using locally sourced and organic ingredients when possible. I learned that the food that I will help grow at Cornercopia this summer, about half of it is sold to Beth at the Campus Club.She shared her story with us about her philosophy on her food. I learned that Beth did not receive an education for her culinary talents from a school. She was given the opportunities to learn first-hand experience working with other chefs. I also learned that there are not a lot of women who take up this incredible talent professionally, which I find interesting, yet if I look back on my food service experience and having opportunities to meet chefs, all were male.

We toured the kitchen, which was very clean and organized, something I am not used to by working in a restaurant. The bar was very fancy, and a few of us stayed after to celebrate my birthday! Also, there is a beautiful view of the Minneapolis skyline from the rooms and balcony of the Club. I learned this is a reason to have a wedding reception at a university!

We had a curry dish for our last dinner. It was a bittersweet event on Wednesday night, yet I have  learned so much from this class that I will be taking so much of it with me. I enjoyed getting to know our instructor Jenny, my internship coordinator Courtney and another brilliant woman, Beth, in the world of culinary arts on a personal level. Overall, I felt that lab was the most important part of the class- we always started with a discussion and were encouraged to talk about how we felt with the lectures and ideas that were discussed about in class. I was able to share food and cooking stories and learn something from each of my classmates/new friends.  I received a cookbook from Beth and Jenny and am looking forward to try some new recipes from two wonderful chefs and share them with my family and fellow gopher friends! The Campus Club will be a place where I may go more often since I get membership with being an intern through Cornercopia! So if we ever want to get together and have a taste of some good campus food, please let me know! CHEERS to a wonderful semester with all of you guys!!

I know I have yet to upload my meals on the blog, so sorry for that, but here are the two I made the last few weeks!

-Bittman's Fennel & Celery Salad-

I wanted to make a salad that was simple, yet tastey, so I tried Bittman's fennel and celery salad. It seemed simple enough! However, when I went to the store, there was no fennel. So instead, I used leeks as a substitute. I wasn't sure what would be best, so I gave that a shot, and it turned out that there wasn't much substance to the salad! I added green leaf lettuce and some diced tomatoes to the salad to give it more substance. In the end, it turned out much better with my alterations! A very refreshing a lite salad.

INGREDIENTS: Celery, leeks (substitution for fennel), lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper

First, I chopped up the celery, the leeks, and mixed them with the lemon juice and olive oil. It was at this point that I decided the salad definitely needed more subs
tance, so I made my additions!

After adding the lettuce, tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese, the salad turned out GREAT! :)



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Here is the second recipe I made... 

-Bittman's Sweet Potato & Quinoa Salad- 

For my second recipe, I decided to try a more hefty salad.

First, I rinsed and cooked the quinoa- which didn't take as long as I expected

While the quinoa was cooking, I peeled one large sweet potato, and diced it up into 1/2 inch cubes, and cooked those until they were soft.

Next, I chopped up the tomatoes, onions, and added the salt, and pepper.

After the quinoa and sweet potatoes were done cooking, I tossed them together along with the veggies. Next, I whisked together olive oik with a balsamic vinaigrette, to make the dressing. I added that to the mixture, along with some chopped chives.

The end product was really great!!