Contact: Pam McCurdy, 651-757-3932
Saint Paul, Minn. — Each day during the Minnesota State Fair, the Eco Experience’s Healthy Local Foods area will be the place to watch cooking demonstrations, taste locally produced foods and see a new exhibit about farmers markets.
Watch live cooking demonstrations. Five times daily, Minnesota chefs will demonstrate their culinary prowess in the Healthy Local Foods area. The demonstrations will be at 10:30 a.m., 12:00 noon, 2:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 23
10:30 a.m., 12:00 noon, 2:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.: Whole Foods Market, Zucchini “Pasta” with Raw Tomato Sauce
Friday, Aug. 24
10:30 a.m., 12:00 noon, 2:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.: Whole Foods Market, California Quinoa
Saturday, Aug. 25
10:30 a.m.: To be determined.
12:00 noon: Good Life Catering, Midwestern Locavore ― with a South American Twist
2:00 p.m.: Historic Hutchinson House Bed and Breakfast, Cranberry/Almond/White Chocolate Scones
3:30 p.m.: Historic Hutchinson House Bed and Breakfast, Blue Cheese Souffle
5:30 p.m.: Historic Hutchinson House Bed and Breakfast, Cowboy Caviar
Sunday, Aug. 26
10:30 a.m. and 12:00 noon: To be determined
2:00 p.m.: Kushi’s Kitchen, Seasonal Mixed Veggies Pickled in Umeboshi Plum Brine
3:30 p.m.: Red Stag Supper Club (topic to be determined)
5:30 p.m.: Gorkha Palace, Momo with Tomato Chutney
Monday, Aug. 27
10:30 a.m., 12:00 noon, 2:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.: Fabulous Catering, topic to be determined
Tuesday, Aug. 28
10:30 a.m., 12:00 noon and 2:00 p.m.: Cooks of Crocus Hill, topic to be determined
3:30 p.m.: Fabulous Catering, topic to be determined
5:30 p.m.: To be determined
Wednesday, Aug. 29
10:30 a.m. and 12:00 noon: Sen Yai Sen Lek, topic to be determined
2:00 p.m.: Urban Relish, Pesto by Any Other Name (Making cilantro pesto, arugula pesto and mint pesto.)
3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.: White Earth Nation, topic to be determined
Thursday, Aug. 30
10:30 a.m.: Birchwood Café, Chilled Kohlrabi Soup
12:00 noon and 2:00 p.m.: To be determined
3:30 p.m. Gardens of Salonica, topic to be determined
5:30 p.m.: To be determined
Friday, Aug. 31
10:30 a.m., 12:00 noon, 2:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.: Whole Foods Market, Green Smoothies
Saturday, Sept. 1
10:30 a.m., 12:00 noon, 2:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.: Whole Foods Market, Sesame Miso Mushroom Skewers
Sunday, Sept. 2
10:30 a.m.: To be determined
12:00 noon: Barrio Tequila Bar, topic to be determined
2:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.: To be determined
Monday, Sept. 3
10:30 a.m., 12:00 noon and 2:00 p.m.: To be determined
3:30 p.m.: Kris Petcharawises of Gai Gai Thai, Tom Yum Corn on the Cob
5:30 p.m.: To be determined
Sample locally produced foods. Three times daily, visitors to the Local HealEco Experience will have the opportunity to sample tasty locally produced foods. Sample times will be 9:00-11:30 a.m., 1:00-3:30 p.m. and 4:30-7:00 p.m.
Come and check out products like Flax and Crafts flaxseed, Peace coffee, Hoch Orchard jellies and apples, Thousand Hills apples and sausage, Hodgson Ranch products, Featherstone Farm melons and more.
Growing Strong: How Farmers Markets Nourish People, Communities and the Planet. This new exhibit in the Health Local Foods area celebrates the unique confluence of community aspiration, cultural exchange, and economic activity popularly known as the farmers market. There has been an extraordinary resurgence in the number of farmers markets nationwide — from only 1,755 in 1994 to more than 7,000 today. While farmers markets support renewed interest in sustainable farming and locally produced food, the exhibit suggests that they also help fill a growing desire to make our communities more connected, livable and vibrant.
About the Eco Experience: A partnership between the Minnesota State Fair, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and more than 150 organizations and businesses across the state, the Eco Experience has become the second most popular exhibit at the fair. The Eco Experience is the largest environmental event of its kind, nationally, in the last two decades.
Since 2006, almost 2.5 million visitors have attended the 25,000-square-foot exhibit to learn more about clean air and water, saving energy, climate change, recycling, healthy local food, transportation, green building and remodeling, and other ways to lead more eco-friendly lives. Look for more information is on the MPCA's Eco Experience web page.
