Eats

“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime”—Author Unknown

Take advantage of summer's bounty by visiting one of Lake Country's many "U-Pick" farms. Fresh food is healthy food—and it doesn't get much fresher than if you pick it yourself!

The Pine River-Backus Community Garden Project is well underway, as evidenced by this report submitted by Genna Strauss, Local Food System Specialist with Minnesota GreenCorps. There's some valuable information in here, in case you'd like to start your own community garden.

There's still a lot of winter weather ahead of us—so what's with your appetite? Do you find yourself craving decadent foods—the ones you know you shouldn't eat? Did you know you're not alone?

Even though the most popular New Year's resolution is to eat more healthily, it's not easy at this time of year. Many of us make it—and break it—annually. So here are some tips to keep us on track through 2010's dark and cold winter months.

You can do lots of things with pumpkin and, the good news is, it's good for you! If you want to see the actual nutritional analysis, click here. But suffice it to say pumpkin is a good source of antioxidants, protein, and fiber—and not fats or calories.

Summer may be over but that doesn't mean there's a shortage of fresh produce in Lake Country. Autumn gardens and orchards serve up some of our favorites—like apples and raspberries—and some fun fall activities to go along with them.

In the current Lake Country Journal Magazine, writer Sheri Davich highlights the fun and history of chokecherries and the Pequot Lakes annual Chokecherry Festival. (July/August 2009, p. 66).

Lake Country is dotted with farms where you can pick your produce right in the field, and farmers’ markets, where they pick it for you. Either way, the shorter the distance between tiller and table, the fresher—and healthier—your food will be.

Local foods, local plants, local fun!

Dee Goerge’s article, “Smokin’ at Smokey Hills,” in the current issue of Lake Country Journal Magazine (May/June 2009, p. 50), got my tastebuds reminiscing about the barbecue I enjoyed when I lived in Texas. So I took a trip to the Internet and found there’s no shortage of recipes or advice for the backyard barbecue cook.