Frozen grapes are terrific trick to keep in your summer tool kit. They’re great treats for kids, fun to make as an activity, make good “ice cubes” for kids’ fruit drinks (lemonade!) and/or grown-up drinks (sangrias!), or they’re just lovely to pop in your mouth on a very hot day. And frozen grapes couldn’t be…  Read More →

In the town of Arauco in the La Rioja province of Argentina stands the oldest olive tree in the country, planted in the 1600s. Although not native to Argentina, the Arauco olive is highly prized for its buttery smoothness and meaty texture, and for the robust floral and fruity flavor notes it contributes to olive…  Read More →

People often joke about how much Minnesotans like to talk about the weather. When it comes to produce, however, weather is not just small talk–for the most part, it is the reason we have or do not have produce to sell. This is true locally – a late frost in spring can wipe out an…  Read More →

Summer came all of a sudden, curtailing ramp season. I hope you got a taste while they were still around, but if you didn’t, there are still lots of interesting early season local products around. For instance green garlic, which is simply the first shoot of the garlic plant, uprooted, cleaned and bundled together. As…  Read More →

Hoch Orchard and Gardens is owned and run by Harry and Jackie Hoch. Located near La Crescent, Minn., Hoch has a long tradition of growing fresh fruit. A handful of the farm’s original trees, planted in the 1940s, are still on the farm, though production is concentrated on newer varieties. Besides 50 varieties of apples,…  Read More →