Minnesota Grown's Pick of the Month newsletter offers you tips on what to look for in seasonal food and products.
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Pick of the Month banner with maple leave and sap bucket.
From maple syrup to tulips, the harbingers of spring are upon us. Make the most of the season with fresh, high-quality products from local farms with help from Minnesota Grown!
Keep an eye out for an extra email next week with a survey to ask you about how and why you purchase local food. We appreciate your feedback!
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Blue bags hanging on trees collecting maple sap to make syrup. [ [link removed] ]
Photo taken by Minnesota Grown
Maple Magic: Tapping into Minnesota's Sweet Treasure
As temperatures rise and fall above and below the freezing point, sap starts flowing beneath tree bark, signaling the start of maple syrup making. The maple season certainly started early this year with some producers starting to tap in late January! Did you know Minnesota is the northernmost and westernmost of the 17 maple syrup producing states? Fresh sap looks and tastes like slightly sweet water, which is why it takes approximately 10 gallons of sap to produce one quart of syrup.
Fortunately, we can enjoy the delicious, sweet taste of pure maple syrup year-round! Go beyond pancakes and *use maple syrup in a beverage, salad dressing, or marinade*, just be sure to smile when you think of your local producer.
Learn more [ [link removed] ] about how syrup is made and find one of over *90 local maple syrup producers* in the Minnesota Grown online directory!
*Find Maple Syrup* [ [link removed] ]
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A collage of pictures of tulips of different colors. [ [link removed]? ]
Photos courtesy of Stone Hearth Farm & Garden and Blue Sky Flower Farm
Tulip Season Arrives in Full Color
Spring flowers may be coming your way early this year too! *Brighten up a room or someone's day with a gift of fresh local tulips.*
Read the feature in the spring issue of Living Local [ [link removed] ]for tips on flower arranging, then seek out one of over 100+ cut flower producers in the directory.
*Find Cut Flowers* [ [link removed]? ]
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Two pictures of granola. In one, a glass jar is poring maple syrup into mixing bowl. The other is an overhead shot of a bowl filled with granola. [ [link removed] ]
Photos taken by Minnesota Grown
Recipe: Maple Cherry Granola
Crunchy, nutty granola gets taken up a notch with pure maple syrup, plus, it's* easy and economical* to make at home. This recipe shares a trick for getting the delightful clusters that make granola so fun, and with nutritious whole grains and the natural sweetness of maple syrup, it's a breakfast (or anytime snack) to be happy about.
Find more recipes to make the most of maple in our Pick of the Month blog. [ [link removed] ]
*See Recipe* [ [link removed] ]
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Picutres the people and products at Wild Country Maple Products. [ [link removed] ]
Photo courtesy of Wild Country Maple Products
Farm Feature: Wild Country Maple Products
Located in Lutsen, MN, the tiny-but-mighty team of Chris Cordes and Carrie and Michael Baker tap about 28,000 trees to make their award-winning maple syrup. Their farm is *open year-round for shopping and tours*, and you can find their products on their website and retail stores around the state.
This year, Michael and Carrie decided to create new flavors of maple syrup. After embarking on a journey to Kentucky to pick up fresh bourbon barrels, they created unique flavors like bourbon, bourbon wine, bourbon apple, and cinnamon vanilla!
*Read More* [ [link removed] ]
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A photo of CSA produce boxes being loaded onto a truck, and a photo of a CSA box with its contents. [ [link removed] ]
Photos courtesy of Earth Dance Farm and Thompson Produce
Join a CSA!
Enjoy the freshest of the fresh by signing up with a farm that offers CSA (community supported agriculture) shares. Each CSA program is unique in what it offers, so it’s a good idea to review the options in our online directory to find what is right for you. The directory includes over *100 CSA farms with over 400 pick-up locations* around the state. Plan now to eat well and support your local farmer this summer!
*Find a CSA* [ [link removed] ]
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Graphic with a Spring Bucket list from Living Local magazine [ [link removed] ]
What's on Your Spring Bucket List?
The next few months will be here and gone faster than a squirrel can eat a nut, so make the most spring with ideas from our Living Local magazine. You'll find a CSA guide, tips for a spring brunch [ [link removed] ] made easy, and other great features!
*Read Living Local*
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