PicklesTravel

Like most Minnesotans, and probably most midwesterners- I am ready for winter to be over. More so than other years because instead of getting our beautiful blizzards in January like we’re supposed to, they’ve been coming in April. As late as April 22!

I love a good snow storm, but my shovel and I have had enough of a workout for the month. So this is my farewell to winter. So long cold, so long snow. I will eagerly await your arrival come December (as long as your leave now :))

Situated on the Nebraska and Iowa borders DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge is a truly unique location. Approximately 45 min away from Omaha (33 miles) you cross plains of fields to arrive at a bird and human retreat with plenty to explore and even more to learn!

DeSoto becomes a migratory waterfowl mecca during the fall and spring months, due to its vast wetlands. It may be hard for those of us living in the midwest to realize this, but we are smack dab in the middle of spring. While we may be reluctant to travel with the snow and weather pounding, the migratory birds don’t have that option, they’re coming rain or shine! So it’s a good time to go if you are interested in seeing the birds.

If the weather is truly uncooperative you can even enjoy the views from indoors from on of the many walls of windows at the DeSoto viewing deck.

When we visited the geece (Snow geece and Canadian geece mostly) and the turtles were out, but not much else.

The historical aspect of DeSoto lies in the depths of the Missouri River (literally- or at least it did until 1967). In 1865 the Steamboat Bertrand sunk at this location and with it all the cargo on board (no lives were lost). Over the next 100 years the vessel and cargo were incredibly well kept and preserved at the bottom of the river. In 1967 it was excavated – over 150 tons (!!) of cargo and today makes up the largest intact collection of Civil War-era artifacts in the United States!

If you’re a history buff of any sort- the collection is well worth the trip; from tools and clothing; to liquors and meats; to household good and building supplies!

I am honored and incredibly excited to tell you that one of my photos has been selected to be published in the Capture Minnesota II book! Only the published photographers have been named so far- the unveiling for photos is April 20th, so I’ll keep you posted as I learn more.

If you would like to see the photos I submitted you can visit my Capture Minnesota page.

If you’re like me and love the beauty that Minnesota has to offer you can purchase a book here, and enjoy tons of great photos!

I love winter. Snow in particular. One of the great things about living in Minnesota.

There are so many things you can do when it snows- snowshoeing, skiing; both cross country and downhill, snowmobiling (though I like the quiet serenity of not snowmobiling more), snowball fights, build forts, make snowmen, lay in the snow and make snowangels… The list goes on and on and on…

Plus I adapt better to the cold. Anything over 80 degrees I’m melting and there are no more clothes to take off (I exaggerate, but not by much). With the snow and cold, you can always put more on to get warm…

And when it gets to be too cold out… There’s always inside- hopefully with a hot fire and a warm cup of hot cider!

What are your favorite snow activities?

I am so grateful to you, my readers and viewers. I am thankful that I can enjoy my photography every day and share some of it with you. I am happy to be living back in Southern Minnesota and enjoying my life as it settles back into some sort of a routine. It’s been a chaotic year, but it’s been a good one!

Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your family, friends, and food!

Chasing my tail again by Matt Miller

It’s Thanksgiving, you’re surrounded by family and friends, you’ve just had a ton to eat, and perhaps even a nap, but there’s still some light to the day (the weather’s great)…

What to do? How about a stroll around downtown Mankato, MN- An Art Walk!

North Mankato and Mankato have over 30 sculptures placed along the main streets of town- easy to view and enjoy day or night, rain or shine. There are 34 in all and they are so well nestled into the two cities that you may not even notice them all. The installations change from year to year, so for a tour of this year’s CityArt Walk make sure to check out the tour guide.

Below is a short photo essay of some of my favorites.

Reflections by D.C. McDermott (and my personal favorite!)
To Love is to Be by Martin Eichinger — Pure, raw emotion…
Aplomb by Luke Achterberg — Swirls, motion and color, what’s not to love!
Circle of Friends by Karen Crain — Makes me want to curl up with a good book!

A lot of hard work goes into a harvest. Late hours, long days, waiting and plenty of dirt, but it’s all worth it in the end. There’s something magical about riding up above the world in the combine, watching the corn stalks break down in front of me or the soybeans fall into the basket behind me.

Always take advantage of a good combine ride!

1. The Size.
It’s a big, bad-ass machine. Seriously- the front tires are probably taller than most people- which means you’re sitting on top of the world when you’re riding along!

2. The History.
Farming made the midwest and America what it is today- combines made farming so much easier! While not nearly as much small time farming happens today as it used to, just drive through the flat prairies of the midwest and you’ll see how critical the farming community is to the local economies.

3. The Stories.
Every farm family has their share stories; from wild animals to burning equipment and far worse, to random acts of kindness and neighbors looking out for one another. As well as stories of adventure, love, and family – it’s all there, you just have to take the time to hear them.

4. The Technology.
GPS, GIS, monitors, computers, you name it, the combine probably uses it in some way shape or form in order to give the farmer as much information back about the field, crop and yield (harvest numbers) as possible! Farming is a high data intensive profession and it’s pretty cool to see it at it’s finest from the jump seat of the combine.

5. The Pattern.
There is something incredibly soothing about the methodical back and forth through the rows of corn, soybeans or whatever crop is being harvested. Watching the stalks or plants come down and the crop collected is calming. Nothing gives off an immediate sense of accomplishment like taking in the crop!

Plus- it’s just plain good, old fashioned fun!

If you’re considering having a backyard grill-out this weekend, switch it up have a pitchfork fondue instead!

All you need is a pitchfork, a vat of oil and hot coals.

The key to a good fondue is temperature. The oil needs to be between 350 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

The best way to make sure the oil is ready is with French Fries, mmm french fries…

Who doesn’t love a delicious plate of fries!?

mmmm, raw meat…

Prep the Pitchforks when the oil is ready (or better said, when you have the correct temperature and your fry experiment turned out delicious)

Cook the Steak – Don’t leave them in the cauldron for more than 2 minutes- they’ll get too well done. Even less time if you like your steak more on the rare side.

Using gloves remove steak from pitchfork and serve!

Since most of the year in Minnesota is spent cold or wrapped to the gills in warm clothes, the warm months are especially appreciated. One of the best ways to enjoy the warm weather is to pick fruit, starting with strawberries and raspberries, then graduating to blueberries and ending with apples. There is always something to pick in the summer and plenty of farms that allow you to come and pick your own berries!

But what happens when you pick too much? Or better yet- How do you keep the summer shining deep into winter?

By picking too much and then freezing them!

Here’s how: (Blueberries are the example, but you can do this with any berry)

1- Pick the berries. How many do you eat in a year? How much do you love them? I eat blueberries on everything, so I knew that I needed to freeze a ton. I usually pick and freeze around 10 1-gallon pails (ice cream pails are my favorite, since they have a handle, but you can use whatever)

2- Let the lighter colored berries ripen overnight. Lay them all out newspaper, or as in the photo above, heavy-duty wrapping paper so that they’re in one safe spot. Don’t let them sit out longer than one night, as they could start to go bad (raspberries and strawberries ripen especially quickly)

3- Sort through the berries. Even before washing the berries it’s important to start to sort out the bad ones. This is also the time when to cut off or pull off stems and/or bad parts of the berries.

4- Wash the berries. Using a strainer wash a handful at a time, in order to keep on sorting and make sure they’re all clean. Then put them on a towel to dry.

5- Freeze berries. To freeze the berries Lay them on a single layer on a cookie tin. This way all the berries freeze through evenly. Leave them like this for 8 to 24 hours. Then put the berries in zip locking freezer bags, suck out all the air from the bag (this helps keep out moisture), seal it and pop it in the freezer for some winter-time enjoyment!

Huge Morels were the bounty for 2012′s “Morel Harvest”

Ok, I admit it- I am a wild food forager. I love finding (or growing, but especially finding) my food.

Morel mushrooms are the pinnacle for wild foraging. To find one is the equivalent to winning big at the casino! It actually becomes treasure when you see that prices range from $50 and higher for a pound at the food co-ops and grocery stores! – NOTHING is better than coming across a slew of morels hidden amongst the leaves.

There’s lots of tricks to the “trade” of morel hunting – dead elm trees, warm days, especially after a rain shower… but it’s all hit or miss and more just about persistence and having access to a whole lotta woods!

That being said- there’s always room for a few more suggestions!

1. Lilacs: Morels tend to show up around the same time as the lilacs bloom, so I use them as a gauge as to when to start my search.

2. Decomposition: Morels are a fungus, and like any fungus, they like moisture and organic matter from which to grow. It is true that they can be found around Elm trees, but they may not show around the dead Elms. My understanding is that the morel grows from the roots of a dying elm, so look especially hard at the live ones that seem to be struggling.

3. Location: I usually have the best luck finding morels at the edge of a woods only a few feet in- where they are getting some nice light, but are still surrounded by trees and other undergrowth (they can’t be easy to find now, can they!?)

4. Enjoy! The absolute most important part of morel mushroom hunting is enjoying them. We’re putting some on the grill tonight and had them on pizza earlier in the week. You can also dry them in order to enjoy year-round. Just put them in a brown paper bag in your refrigerator.

And while this is usually where I have my best luck, this year I found the biggest morel I’ve ever found, deep in the woods, long after the lilacs had died…

There is absolutely nothing scientific about my methods and I can’t guarantee they’ll work for you, but would love to hear if they do! Also, please pass along your methods!