The long-awaited moment has arrived: Fat Pat’s Brewery, located in the heart of downtown Spring Grove, Minn., is officially open for business. Owned by Patrick Longmire Jr., along with his wife Jayme and friend Chelsea McManimon-Moe, the brewery is located at 130 E. Main St., once an automotive repair shop, now transformed into a vibrant hub for socializing and five-star food … [Read more...]
Your Flying Farmer – Fifteen-year-old Cheese
In case you haven’t noticed, it’s June! Time flies by so quickly that it circles the earth and laps me in my floating, flying machine. June has got to be one of my favorite months of the year. First of all, it’s Dairy Month! There’s no better time to come visit the farm and get some milk than June dairy month! Driving through winding valleys, to the top of towering bluffs, is … [Read more...]
A Goodly Heritage – Dent de Lion
Over the years, I have developed an interest in several different languages. I have also enjoyed studying botany, the science of plants. So when I learned from a naturalist at Forestville State Park that a particular, seemingly ordinary plant had its origin in France, I listened attentively. Immigrants inadvertently introduced this plant onto the American landscape many … [Read more...]
Fresh Off the Farm – Do You Have Closet Jerks?
“I guess I’ll have to start a nudist colony,” I told my husband. He didn’t seem to take my declaration seriously, so I figured I’d better amp it up. “I’ve been learning from Dawn at The Minimal Mom on YouTube and she said that if something isn’t an eight or higher out of 10, it isn’t worth owning.” Dawn explains how everything we own is talking (and sometimes screaming) at … [Read more...]
Your Flying Farmer – Making Magic
Feelings of excitement flash around me as I prepare to breach the laws of the physical world and make my neon green scarf vanish into thin air! From my 11-year-old vantage point, I see my audience is enthralled with my latest magic show given by me and my string puppet sidekick named Louie. Who doesn’t love a good physics-bending show and a two legged blue creature who sniffs … [Read more...]
Impress Fellow Fans With Smoked Brisket
Sports is often credited with bringing people together. That tendency to connect people from different walks of life is even more noticeable when sports is combined with food. Food and sports go hand in hand. Food is never too far away when getting together with fellow fans. That’s true if fans are hosting a game watch at home or if they’re tailgating in a stadium parking … [Read more...]
A Goodly Heritage – The Dawn of a New Day: Part 2
The following is taken from “Tales from Heritage Farm” written by Wenda and Randall Grabau. Huffing and sputtering out her troubles, Hildy listed all of the things she expected to encounter that day. “I’ll hunt and get pecked by Annie. I will peck and be nipped by Dolly. After scratching a while, I’ll get chased and jabbed at by Little Red. Once I lay my big brown egg, … [Read more...]
A Goodly Heritage
The following is taken from “Tales from Heritage Farm” written by Wenda and Randall Grabau. The Dawn of a New Day Part 1 “Cock-a-doodle-doo———God-is-good-to-you——!” This abrupt, piercing chorus trailed off, not without ruffling more than a few feathers. Brilliant pink and subdued rose washed the eastern sky as the twitter of the first morning bird began her melody. … [Read more...]
Norsland Lefse Looking to the Future
When owner Mark Johnson put Norsland Lefse up for sale in hopes of retiring soon, the people of the Rushford area began to worry - would Norsland Lefse continue? Would they be able to still get their essential lefse for the holidays? When the news got around that Lori and David McDonald from Milwaukee were purchasing it, people still worried - what were their … [Read more...]
Escobar Kitchen – A Dream Come True
Teisha Escobar has long dreamed of having her own restaurant; she has been working hard to make her dreams come true. Escobar Kitchen will soon be opening - hopefully in mid-March. Once the licensing paperwork arrives from the state, Escobar Kitchen will hold a soft opening. (Keep your eyes open – a clue that it’s opening soon will be when the outdoor bistro tables and chairs … [Read more...]