Grape vines aren’t the only green thing at Strawbale Winery in rural Renner, South Dakota. SW joined the growing list of South Dakota wineries a little over a year ago. While these wineries all make shopping for regional products a little easier, SW is the only one that can boast a sustainable building method: strawbale construction (as if you haven’t guessed that by now). For the second of my South Dakota Green Features, co-owner Don South graciously answered a few questions via e-mail.
Entries from January 2008
SD Green Feature: Strawbale Winery
January 27, 2008 · 3 Comments
Categories: Green Praxis
Tagged: local eating, SD Green Directory, strawbale construction, wine
Roots Road Trip: Granary Rural Cultural Center
January 19, 2008 · 1 Comment
The temperature has nudged up to 4 below (our thermometer read 22 below when I got up this morning), so I’ve holed up in the house for the day. That makes it a perfect time to inaugurate a new blog feature, the Roots Road Trip.
No, I won’t be talking about a winter Caribbean cruise or a Tuscany wine tour. Instead, once in awhile I’ll highlight interesting and off-the-beaten-path spots in this region, ones that are full of life and culture but likely are not on the typical traveler’s radar.
Our first stop? A small acreage on a gravel road up in northeast South Dakota, the Granary Rural Cultural Center.
Categories: Travel
Tagged: art, Roots Road Trip, rural
Inspiring Small Town Story of the Day
January 15, 2008 · Leave a Comment
It’s been a little over a year since 17-year-old Nick Graham reopened the sole grocery store in downtown Truman, Minnesota.
Wait a minute. 17??
Yep. Read all about it here.
He’s not the stock boy; he’s the owner.
(Photo by John Cross, The Free Press, Mankato, MN)
Next time you pass through Truman, stop in to the Main Street Market and tell Nick he’s doing a spectacular job. Hat tip: The Rural Blog.
Categories: Placemaking
Tagged: downtown, Main Street, rural, small town
Long Road to Locavore
January 11, 2008 · 5 Comments
Much as I tout eating food produced locally, I admit to having a very long way to go before
I can reasonably call myself a locavore (the Oxford American Dictionary’s Word of the Year!) One small step I’ve taken in recent years is to cut out or at least minimize the number of fresh tomatoes I buy at the grocery store, especially when tomatoes are out of season. It’s usually not that hard, because, really–grocery-store off-season tomatoes don’t exactly pack a taste sensation. They’re usually not worth the effort.
I slipped up the other day, though, when I was itching for one of my favorite recipes that calls for cherry tomatoes. Bad choice. The tomatoes I bought tasted horrible, nothing remotely close to the beauties that came from the garden last summer. Lesson learned.
Categories: Green Praxis
Tagged: eat local challenge, garden, locavore, recipes
Eating Locally on the Prairie
January 10, 2008 · Leave a Comment
I’ve had my copy of Dakota Rural Action’s local foods directory since October, but I just got around to using it to update my SD Green Directory Food page. The DRA folks did a great job of putting together a beautiful directory that contains a listing of small-scale farmers and ranchers across the state who specialize in producing for their local markets. It also includes farmers markets listings, recipes, and handy produce storage information.
You can get ahold of a FREE copy by contacting DRA at action@dakotarural.org or by clicking here.
Categories: Green Praxis
Tagged: local food, sustainable growing/eating
