Our item last week about tomato shortages due to the freezing temps in the tomato belts in Florida and Mexico prompted the folks at Bushel Boy Farms in Owatonna to say, "Yikes!" And then to write to say that Minnesota has its own "tomato belt" safely under wraps in 20 acres of climate-controlled greenhouses. "Bushel Boy Farms is the largest provider of tomatoes to our area's grocery stores -- growing tomatoes all year long," said spokeswoman Sarah Peterson. Three varieties -- beefsteak, vine-on and Baby Boys -- are delivered to local stores and restaurants within 24 hours of picking, she said. So many of Minnesota's BLTs and salads won't lack for tomatoes. It's good to live where it's cold enough to require greenhouses, right?
Yes, we have some tomatoes
March 10, 2011 at 4:49PM
Invent, enter, travelBalmy, sun-swept landscapes sound inspiring about now, so why not use that to invent a recipe that may earn you a round trip for two to Italy? Crisco olive oil asks home cooks to submit Mediterranean-style recipes using one of three kinds of Crisco olive oil, along with a short essay describing how that oil proved inspirational. While the grand prize is the trip, three other winners get a year's supply of Crisco olive oil products and a cookware set. Visit www. GetInspiredWithCrisco.com for all the rules. Deadline is March 18.
Let there be meatballsDo you have a killer meatball recipe? The American Swedish Institute, 2600 Park Av. S. in Minneapolis, is sponsoring a meatball recipe contest, with entries due through 4 p.m. tomorrow, March 11. Entrants then will be asked to deliver two dozen sample meatballs to ASI on March 27, then three finalists will have their recipes prepared by the ASI cooking staff for the final judging on April 16. (You'll need to be present that day.) The winner gets $100 gift cards to Cooks of Crocus Hill and to the ASI's online store. For entering details, visit www.americanswedish inst.org and click on "meatball competition."
Sustaining mind, bodySome events don't fit into neat slots. Witness the Kitchen Poets Vault, a group of poets with a culinary bent. They're hosting a free poetry reading and food tasting in the cold light of day, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Saint Agnes Baking Co., 644 Olive St., St. Paul. Twin Cities poets reading their work are Mike Finley, Klecko, Susan Steger Welsh, James Silas Rogers, Debora Gilson and me, Kim Ode, who thinks that she will never spy/a poem as lovely as an apple pie. A special award will be given to a worthy patron of the poetic arts.
KIM ODE
