Programming: August 18

August 18

LIVE MUSIC

10:00-11:30 - jon walters

11:30-12:30 - Jeffrey Lackman

12:30-2:00 - Jessica Vines

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PROGRAMMING AND KIDS ACTIVITIES

Fargo Public Library

• Book Reading

BUZZ LAB

Imagination Playground with Boys and Girls Club

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NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION

C.L.E.A.N.

• Citizens Local Energy Action Network (C.L.E.A.N.) serves the Fargo/Moorhead community to work for continuous sustainability, emission reductions, and efficiency improvement in the energy sector, and alternative fuels for transportation. They are committed to improving the local environment in our community by fostering partnerships with area businesses, government, community leaders, and our neighbors to create a cleaner, safer place to live and work.
  
  C.L.E.A.N spearheads comprehensive energy studies for the Fargo/Cass County area and Moorhead/Clay County. They believe the results of our studies will show our community better ways of achieving sustainability for municipal projects.
  
  In addition, C.L.E.A.N. has worked on a 30-year plan to make Fargo/Cass County an air pollution-free zone. By encouraging the development and implementation of local renewable/sustainable energy generation plants that will both keep energy generation dollars in our community, promote the use of electronic vehicles, and reduce the concentration of bio-accumulative nanoparticle pollutants generated by the burning of fossil fuels.

Programming: August 11

August 11- National Farmers Market Week

LIVE MUSIC

10:00-11:30 - Merrill Piepkorn and the Radio Stars

11:30-12:30 - Matt J

12:30-2:00 - The jazz committee

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PROGRAMMING AND KIDS ACTIVITIES

NDSU Extension - family nutrition program

• Cooking/Fruit & Vegetable Tasting

Imagination Playground with Boys and Girls Club

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NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION

Audubon Dakota

• Audubon Dakota’s mission is to: make a tangible impact for birds and wildlife; emphasize programs and projects with a compelling landowner interest; envision our work as something bigger; and embrace innovation and leadership One of their initiatives is the Urban Woods and Prairies program, which restores native prairie and woodland vegetation in urban sites in the Fargo-Moorhead area, Grand Forks, Minot, and Bismarck. Beyond their urban conservation work, They also have Audubon Conservation Ranching. This program enhances and restores habitat for grassland birds by partnering with ranchers to implement sustainable grazing practices while empowering conscious consumers to support on-the-ground conservation through their purchases.

Programming: August 4

August 4

LIVE MUSIC

10:00-11:30 - FM Symphony

11:30-12:30 - Wyatt Dronen

12:30-2:00 - Warren Christensen

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PROGRAMMING AND KIDS ACTIVITIES

Peter the Slug - Book reading

Streets Alive!/ Great Rides

 

Imagination Playground with Boys and Girls Club

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NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION

FM Symphony

• The Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra serves the community by enriching, educating and engaging audiences of all ages through inspired performances of orchestral and chamber music.

Programming: July 28

July 28

LIVE MUSIC

10:00-11:30 - Lacey Guck

11:30-12:30 - Courtney Utz

12:30-2:00 - Jake Ingamar

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PROGRAMMING AND KIDS ACTIVITIES

Rourke Art Museum

• Art Demos

Imagination Playground with Boys and Girls Club

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NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION

Project Express

• Project Express is a budding non-profit in the Fargo area created by three Davies high school students working to create change in the community. The Project Express Mission statement is as follows, "We strive to advocate and bring awareness to the benefits of expressing thoughts and emotions through the creative arts for people struggling with mental illness." We do this through a 50/50 approach. 50% of our work is advocating for the benefits of creative expression through informational packets, social media campaigns, and community outreach and activities like the Red River Market. The other 50% is direct donations to the Village Family Service Center for use in their art therapy programs, these donations are raised through the selling of t-shirts and other merchandise with the Project Express logo on them. This merchandise not only benefits the Village through the donations that come from them, but also benefits the community by inspiring an important conversation about mental health, and how to maintain it through positive expression and creativity.

Programming: July 21

July 21 - Open During Street Fair

LIVE MUSIC

10:00-11:30 - Tristan Larson

11:30-12:30 - Kwaician Traylor

12:30-2:00 - Hot Lunch

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PROGRAMMING AND KIDS ACTIVITIES

Creative Plains Foundation

• Art activities

Imagination Playground with Boys and Girls Club

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NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION

Metro COG - Metropolitan Food Systems Plan

Growing Together Community Garden

Programming: July 14

July 14 - Opening Day

LIVE MUSIC

10:00-11:30 - Tristan Larson

11:30-12:30 - Eric Jacobson

12:30-2:00 - Jazz Committee

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PROGRAMMING AND KIDS ACTIVITIES

YMCA Cass Clay

Imagination Playground with Boys and Girls Club

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NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION

International Water Institute

• Information about watershed education programs
• Interactive activities/games
• Our mission: To foster watershed stewardship through leadership in decision support, environmental monitoring, and educational programming.
  
  The International Water Institute works with local partners in the Red River of the North Basin to lead the River Watch and River of Dreams programs at more than 25 schools in Minnesota and North Dakota. Staff are heavily involved in water quality monitoring, data interpretation, and development of tools to support natural resource decision-makers.

North Country National Scenic Trail

• The North Country National Scenic Trail is a 4600 mile hiking trail that starts in NY and ends at Lake Sakakawea in ND. We have access to the trail just south of Fargo. Our chapter, the Dakota Prairie Chapter, builds and maintains trail, as well as sponsors monthly hikes and events, such as the exposition, which is about hiking and backpacking.

Roasted Potato Salad

This recipe is based on one from Thug Kitchen, but it’s been modified a bit. We took out the swears and swapped some of the ingredients for things that are made closer to home (like apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice or vegetable oil instead of olive oil). Enjoy!

Serves 4 as a side

Ingredients

1 pound small potatoes
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt

Dressing

1/2 cup parsley
1/4 cup onions
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp water

Directions

Preheat oven to 400º

Scrub your potatoes and cut into bit sized pieces. Toss them in the oil, paprika and salt and spread them on a cookie sheet. Roast for 13 minutes, then flip them over with a spatula and roast the other side until their cooked through (about 13 minutes again).

In a food processor, combine all the other ingredients. 

Take the potatoes out and let cool. Then pour them and the dressing into a bowl, toss and cover. Put in the fridge (1 hour - overnight). Then open up, salt and pepper to taste and serve. You can sprinkle a little chopped parsley or sliced green onions on top if you like. 

Roast Beet Pickles

This is my mom’s pickled beet recipe and a great way to add some flavor to any plate. You can serve them as a side, on top of a salad, or just eat them out of the jar with the fridge door open… not that that’s ever happened.

Makes 3 quarts

Ingredients

16 good sized beets (or 32 small, 1-3 inches)
4 cups vinegar (or 2 cups vinegar, 2 cups water if you want a milder flavor)
2 cups sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp allspice
1 tbsp mustard seed
1 tbsp cloves
1 tsp salt

Directions

Scrub your beets a bit to get the dirt off and trim off tops and the scraggly root part. If you’re planning to peel your beets don’t worry too much about cleaning them well. If you’re planning to leave the skins on, which is fine for younger, smaller beets, scrub hard! 

On a cookie sheet, lightly coat your beets with olive oil. Roast at 350º F until you can pierce them with a fork. If you’re working with larger beets you plan to peel, roast them until the skins are loose. Then cool and peel easily. If you’re not planning on peeling and are working with younger beets, you can roast to taste - beets can be eaten raw so you can’t undercook a beet. 

Slice your beets into bite sized pieces. 

Prepare your pickling liquid by combining all the other ingredients in a large jar. Then just plop your beets in and allow to pickle for 4-24 hours. Then strain and serve. 

If you want a milder flavor, you can rinse the beets before you serve them.
Also, consider holding onto that pickling liquid. It’s great to throw some hardboiled eggs in there! 

Recipe: Manoomin (Wild Rice) and Swiss Chard Salad

This recipe is based on Heid E. Edrich’s Original Local: Indigenous Foods, Stories, and Recipes from the Upper Midwest (available at Fargo Public Library!). We modified it to use the greens available from our local farms and it was delicious! We also substituted vegetable oil for olive oil, and apple cider vinegar for balsamic vinegar which reduced the number of miles our ingredients had traveled a ton. Best of all - you can do all the prep steps ahead of time and then just assemble and dress the salad right before dinner.

You can buy Manoomin (a.k.a. Minnesota Wild Rice) at Hornbacher’s, but if you want something really special, consider ordering online from Red Lake Nation Foods - it’s a tribe-owned business that uses traditional methods to harvest the rice in northern Minnesota.

Serves: 4 as a side, 2 as a main

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup uncooked manoomin/wild rice (1.5 cups cooked)
• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts, lightly toasted
• 1 tsp better than bouillon
• 3 cups swiss chard
• 2-3 tbsp minced fresh mint
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 large teaspoon mustard
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 6 tbsp vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Rice

Rinse rice by running it under cold water in a strainer. Bring 1.5 cups of water to a boil and pour in 1/2 a cup of rice. Bring back to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer until rice is tender and has absorbed the water (35-45 minutes). This will make 1.5-2 cups of cooked rice. When it’s done cooking allow to cool and then refrigerate until you’re ready to mix your salad.

Hazelnuts

Toast hazelnuts on a cookie sheet at 375ºF for 15 minutes. Once cool chop roughly and set aside.

Dressing

In a blender or water-tight food processor blend garlic clove. Then add bouillon, vinegar, mustard and maple syrup and blend until combined. While running the blender on low speed, drizzle in oil. Salt and pepper dressing to taste.

Final Steps

Wash and chop chard and mint. Mix chard, mint and hazelnuts into rice. Finally add dressing, toss and serve. (For prettiness you can save a mint leaf to place on top of the salad.) 

Find more wild rice recipes here.

Recipe: Tip-to-Root Beets

This beet recipe is based on one from April Bloomfield’s A Girl and Her Greens: Hearty Meals from the Garden (available at Fargo Public Library!) but has been altered to use more local ingredients, like apple cider vinegar and onion. It’s a delicious way to use the whole vegetable and it’s a great make-ahead recipe too.

Serves: 4-6 as a side

Ingredients

• 20 golf ball sized beets with greens
• 6 garlic cloves un peeled
• 6 sprigs thyme
• salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp finely chopped onion
• 2 tbsp salt
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Directions

Make a broth with salt, garlic and thyme. Set to boil.

Trim beets leaving 1/2 inch of stem and 2” of root. Scrub the beet clean and set aside. Rinse leaves and stems. Cut stems off leaves, and cut stems down to 1” pieces (bite-sized). Set aside. Double rinse beet leaves and roughly chop them to bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

Boil beets in broth for 30 minutes, until they allow a fork to pierce them but are not mushy.

Use a slotted spoon to remove beets from broth. Quarter beets taking care to cut so you have a bit of the root and stem on each piece. Place in a bowl with vegetable oil and finely chopped onion. Cover and refrigerate.

Keep the broth boiling and scoop out the garlic and thyme. Dump in the stems and cook, stirring occasionally until they’re tender (3-4 minutes). Remove stems with a slotted spoon. Cover and refrigerate.

Add the greens to the water and stir, remove as soon as they start to turn bright green. Strain out of broth and refrigerate.

To Serve

Start by placing leaves, then cover with stems and as many beets as you’d like (8 quarters looks nice as a side). Drizzle with a little apple cider vinegar and serve. Enjoy!

Recipe: Radish Seed Pods and Red Lettuce Salad

Pick up some radish seed pods and red lettuce from Woodchuck Community Farm, give them a quick pickle and then enjoy them on this tangy and lightly dressed refreshing summer salad.

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

About 20 Radish Seed Pods 

4 cups Red Lettuce 

Vinegar Reduction

1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 cup Sugar

Quick Pickling Liquid

1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp salt

Directions

Put apple cider vinegar and sugar in a pot and bring to a boil. Let simmer until the liquid halves in volume. Allow it to cool, then pour it into a jar and store in the fridge.

Cut stems off pods and slice in half (it’s piddly but worth it!) In a bowl, combine 1 cup apple cider vinegar, salt and sugar. Put the sliced radish pods in the vinegar mixture for 20 minutes, then drain.

Lightly dress the salad in the apple cider vinegar reduction, place a few seed pods on top and serve.

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#FredtheMiniHorse and other Market Highlights

The we wanted to take a moment and recap some highlights from our inaugural season! We're so thankful to be supported by you, the people who attend the market every Saturday, our amazing volunteers, and our fiscal host, the Downtown Community Partnership. Please continue to support local farmers, vendors, artists, and musicians!

On top of having wonderful produce, hot food and craft vendors, we've had some fun special experiences this season that have made the market extra special:

#FredtheMiniHorse and the Alpaca Clan! It was so much fun to have these guys (and gal) with us. What characters! (And thank you Warren for sharing the Little Sebastian theme song with us three times that day. What a gent!)

The NDSU Marching Band came out to the Fall Fest and tickled our fanciful sound triangles [read: ears] for a solid hour of musical merriment!

The Imaginarium set up a few times to give kids a fun new land of potential forts, giant puzzles, and wearable art in which to live.

Fermentation on Wheels brought the bus and taught us how to ferment all the things with live demos!

Drekker sampled beers! (They let us borrow their cornhole set on Saturdays, too, the lads...)

Plus, every week we've been serenaded by really great musicians... Ethan, Hannah, Randi, Warren, Isaac, Paul, and Logan, thank you for lending your talents to make the market even more fun!

Did you know Red River Market now sells cards and prints?! Come by the info booth to check them out!

We hope to see you next season!

Recipe: Carrot Top Pesto

Ever since starting the market, we have been delightfully surprised as we learn how to use the produce in new ways! Did you know that you can eat the tops of eggplant? Well not only can you do that, but you can also eat the tops of carrots! In the recipe below we've taken carrot tops and turned them into pesto that (if we do say so ourselves) rivals any traditional pesto.

Serves: ALL OF THE PEOPLE FOR ALL OF THE DAYS

“This makes so much pesto. You don’t realize how far pesto goes until you make a pound of it so bring some to dinner parties, new neighbors, or store some in the freezer!”

— Cathryn Erbele

Ingredients:

Carrot Tops from 1 whole bunch of carrots (We have so many lovely produce vendors at the Red River Market and many of them grow carrots with giant leafy tops so do yourself a favor and skip the grocery store when picking up these bad boys for the heaviest top-to-carrot ratio.)

2 handfuls of Basil, Parsley, or other greens of your choosing (These add a nice depth of flavor and we recommend using two types of greens when making any pesto recipe.)

1/2 c. Walnuts (Buttery, but cheaper than pine nuts, walnuts are our go to nut for pesto.)

1/4 c. Olive Oil

1.5 tsp Honey (In this recipe we used honey from Three Bears Honey - obviously - but make sure to not forget adding the honey! The slight sweetness balances out the bitterness of greens beautifully.)

1 clove of Garlic chopped

Hefty Pinch o' Salt (or 2 pinches, you know, to taste)

Directions:

In a food processor or powerful blender combine all the ingredients. Pulse until smooth.

Et puis voila! Carrot Top Pesto!

An Ugly Food Potluck! Mark your calendars!

logo design by Cathryn Erbele

We have some exciting news! On September 1st there will be an UGLY Food Potluck hosted by the lovely folks over at Drekker Brewing to celebrate the use of "ugly food". 

What, pray tell, is "ugly food"? Well, it is first and foremost a movement with an answer to food waste. Ugly foods are those foods which consequently get thrown away instead of finding their way onto shelves at grocery stores, farmers' market stalls, and on plates at restaurants due to their less than perfect appearances. (Think misshapen apples or multi-pronged carrots.) What started in France has become a worldwide movement and Fargo is getting on board.

On Tuesday, Sept. 1 from 5:30-7pm, we invite you to join us at Drekker Brewery for a family-style potluck. Please bring a dish to share featuring your favorite ugly food from your own garden, the Red River Market or your favorite local grocery. Prizes will be given out for the “ugliest” food, as well as the best tasting dish. 

For those unable to make a dish, we will have a suggested donation of $5 to support the Red River Market. This event is free and open to the public. Please join the conversation and share photos of your favorite “ugly food” on social media using #FMuglyfood.

To get pumped up about the event, please enjoy this awesome video by TEDxManhattan that reveals how we can change the world by not overlooking those fruits and veggies who are beautiful on the inside.

Waxing Poetic on the Art of Salads

Salads don't get enough credit -- endless combinations of ingredients brought together under a canopy of dressing. Thanks to the Red River Market, this summer has been filled with salads! Here are some favorites to inspire your week after picking up all the delicious ingredients at the market:

Photo by Zach Davis Photography. Veggies by Red River Market.

Above: Greens and feta were combined with walnuts, carrots, cucumbers, and dried cranberries, then doused in a mustard vinaigrette made from Plain State mustard to make all of our salad daydreams come true this past weekend.

For more salad inspiration, see the links below!

How about a grilled corn salad with fresh tomatoes, quinoa, smoked paprika, cilantro, and of course, the star, corn from Brendemuhl Farms!

Or a colorful beet salad also featuring edamame and pepitas with beets from Woodchuck Community Farm!

There's cucumber avocado deliciousness happening here. The cucumbers we got from Heart & Soil are the inspiration for this one.

And I don't know if this quite counts as a salad, but nevertheless it's a great combination of zucchini (which we picked up from Kragnes Family Farm), mint, basil, and walnuts.

Happy salad eating!

Fermentation on Wheels

Photo via Fermentation on Wheels

Welcome to the Red River Market blog! Here, we'll highlight the vendors, events, local food, and community that make our market happen. This weekend, we're pumped to have Fermentation on Wheels visiting the market!

If you would've told me to be excited about something called Fermentation on Wheels a couple months ago, I would've given you a (very) blank expression. What on earth?! Fermentation by definition is "the chemical breakdown of a substance by bacteria, yeasts, or other microorganisms, typically involving effervescence and the giving off of heat." Sounds appetizing, right? But of course that process is responsible for amazing things like beer, wine, and kombucha! And more importantly (or rather, as importantly) it doesn't stop there. That's why Fermentation on Wheels is so great. They teach workshops to people across the country about creating fermented, pro-biotic foods like sauerkraut, vinegars, and more! So bring that cabbage to the market this weekend (or pick some up from on of our many produce vendors) because Fermentation on Wheels will be in Fargo this Saturday from 10am to 2pm on Broadway and 2nd Ave N!

See you there!

Tara Whitsitt of Fermentation on Wheels giving a demo. Photo via The Splendid Table.

And to give you a teaser of what is possible through fermentation, here's a recipe they've shared on how to make your own Grapefruit Sage Vinegar! (So good.)