I am guessing that if you are reading this, you probably have some
commitment to local foods. Whether you trek to a Farmers market or shop
your Coop or grocers looking for the local label, you seek out food with
fewer food miles between you and the grower.

But have you ever taken a tour of the state, seeking out growers,
producers and wine-makers? I recently talked to someone who did just
that, and the end result is now a book. BJ Carpenter, local chef and
locavore, teamed up with Shelley Holl to seek out the Minnesota food
gems that are tucked away in small towns and byways across the state. BJ
developed the recipes for  The Minnesota Table, Recipes for Savoring Local Food Throughout the Year (Voyageur Press, $25.00) Her friend Shelly wrote the profiles of food makers and farmers throughout the book.

"It was fun," said Carpenter, "the things we discovered when we got
out there, like the Communion Wafer factory (Little Falls), and the
largest Yak herd in the US (St Joseph). They were fun trips. Then we
stumbled across the Nun who started the first CSA in the state, and even
got to pet a big bison. It was a little scary, but he is a pet, who
appears in commercials and movies."

If that doesn't pique your interest, the book is also packed with
lists of u-pick orchards, wineries to tour, and contact info for the
places that they found great local foods.

Carpenter's recipes, though, make up the bulk of the book, and she
has crafted a seasonal parade of local bounty. Alongside that are tips
for putting up the harvest of each season, whether it is berries, herbs
or root vegetables. Handy charts tell you how to blanch, freeze and dry,
so you can save your favorites when they are best and cheapest. As an
experienced chef and long-time canner and pickler, Carpenter knows
people need some tips.

"Our mothers and grandmothers all canned and baked. They didn't have
the luxury of stuff trucked in from Mexico. They ate what was in season.
Eating local foods in season is sort of a novelty now."

Her pursuit of quality is as much a part of her interest in local as
any sort of politics. "I call ahead to Mississippi Market to find out
when they are making fresh mozzarella. I go get it and go straight home
and slice it with some ripe tomatoes. It's phenomenal how good that
tastes. It sounds crazy, but if you put the water on to boil and then go
pick the corn, and drop it in for a minute and a half, it's like
nothing you have ever had. My neighbor girl brings me fresh eggs she
just gathered, and I cook them right away. There is just no comparison."

The recipes are crowd pleasers, familar food with updates and tasty
touches that make you want to give them a try. Pink Potato Salad, made
with pickled beets, or a Roasted Garlic Custard are just a couple of
variations on that theme. And for rutabaga fans, there is a rutabaga
milkshake recipe from the rutabaga capital, Askov MN.

If you are a locavore and want to find some of the unique gems that
your state has to offer, this book is your road map. And if you don't
feel like visiting the farm, you can always bring your treasures home
and make the tasty dishes that were inspired by the amazing foods of
Minnesota.