A home grown 4th of July treat!

Happy Independence Day from "Roots, Shoots, and Fruits: the Incredible Edible Garden!"  Read on for a delectable and patriotic treat that you can make with Minnesota grown strawberries!

Red, White and Blue Pie

Ingredients:
2 lb. strawberries, cleaned & sliced, divided
1 pt. blackberries or blueberries
1 C. granulated sugar
1 deep dish pie crust, baked
Sweetened whipped cream, as needed

Instructions: 
1. Take 1/2 of the strawberries and put them in the blender with the sugar. Blend until smooth.
2. Move these to a saucepan and simmer until you achieve a nice glaze consistency and the strawberry puree is soft. Let cool to warm or room temperature.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the rest of the strawberries with the blackberries, and fold in the glaze (after it cools).
4. Pour into your prepared, pre-baked pie crust. Refrigerate until cold.
5. Before serving, top the outer edge of the pie with the whipped cream so you can still see the red/blue interior (or if you wish pipe out lines of whipped cream so you get a flag-like appearance.)

Tip: To make this Fourth of July dessert recipe look even more festive for the 4th, save some of your fruit to arrange on top for a festive look!

Stop by the exhibit soon to see our fruits and have an exciting and educational experience.
Have a fun and safe holiday.

A fun and easy recipe from the garden

Greetings all!

I hope you are all having an enjoyable summer so far. For those of you who have not had the chance to visit the exhibit, there is always something exciting going on here for the whole family, check it out! 

One of the plants featured at the garden is strawberries. This week we have a recipe for strawberry rhubarb muffins  from the Minnesota Homegrown Cookbook.

Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup diced fresh rhubarb

1 cup chopped fresh strawberries

Directions: Preheat oven to 400°. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, combine egg, yogurt, oil, and vanilla. Stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture until all ingredients are moistened. Fold rhubarb and strawberries into batter. Then, divide the batter between 12 greased muffin cups. Sprinkle the muffin tops generously with sugar. Bake in preheated oven at 400° for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Let us know what you think of the muffins.

Tell us about your opening day experience

We are finally open! We enjoyed seeing all of you as we celebrated the opening of "Roots, Shoots, and Fruits: The Incredible Edible Garden" and want to hear all about your experiences at the opening day event. 

For those of you who weren't able to make it, don't worry! The exhibit will be open for the duration of the summer and will feature daily talks from the horticulture staff at the zoo. Several times throughout the summer, we will feature local authors and other guest speakers. The exhibit features activities for all ages so bring the whole family! 

Join us this Friday for the exhibit opening

Please join us this Friday, June 17 for the opening of the Como Park Zoo & Conservatory's newest exciting exhibit, "Roots, Shoots, and Fruits: The Incredible Edible Garden!" Learn new recipes to try at home and practical tips to try in your home garden from the zoo's horticulture staff. Bring the whole family!

To tide you over until Friday's opening do some summer cooking on your own. We recommend making a organic tomato and herb oil appetizer that is featured in the Minnesota Homegrown Cookbook. The recipe features some of the ingredients that you will be able to find at the exhibit.

Organic Tomato and Herb Oil Appetizer

Ingredients:

2 large organic tomatoes

1 tablespoon cilantro oil

2 teaspoons white truffle oil

1/4 cup micro greens

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions: First, prepare the cilantro oil. For the cilantro oil you will need 1/2 pound of cilantro, 1/2 cup of olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Begin by boiling a small pot of water. Then place approximately a half-dozen ice cubes and  2 quarts of water into a small bowl. Place small bunches of cilantro into the boiling water for 2 seconds. Remove the cilantro bunches immediately and let them cool in the ice water. Then remove the cilantro bunches from the ice water and squeeze the water out. Next, cut the stems off and chop the leaves. Then place the cilantro in a food processor with the olive oil and salt and purée for 1 minute. Place a strainer over a pitcher and scrape the cilantro mix into the strainer. Let it stand for one hour. Pour the oil into a small tube and refrigerate it.  

Wash the tomatoes and then slice them into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place them around a large plate or platter. Drip the cilantro oil and truffle oil randomly over the tomatoes. Then sprinkle it with the sea salt and ground pepper as desired. Lastly, enjoy this summer appetizer that goes well with cheeses, bread, or grilled items. 

Stop by the exhibit this Friday and throughout the summer for more recipes and cooking tips!