Minnesota B&B Blog » Green

May Gunflint Trail Green-Up

bct — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:24:23 +0000

2011 May Tree Planting Weekends
Gunflint Trail Green-Up

Join us for one of two Tree Planting weekends during the- Gunflint Green-Up

Gunflint Green Up – May 6-8. Over this weekend trees will be planted on the upper end of the Gunflint Trail and near the east end of the Banadad Ski Trail. Other events include dinners on Friday and a dinner/dance Saturday night in the Big Tent at Gunflint Lodge. Sign-up for lodging at Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B- 800-322-8327. To register for the dinners and other events go to registration fee.

The Banadad Trail Green Up- May 13-15. The Banadad Trail Association is sponsoring this weekends tree planting. For the past four years the carbon produced by the equipment used to maintain and groom the Banadad Ski Trail has been sequestered in tree planting. According to the Association- tree planting is our way to insure that the maintenance and grooming of the trail remains carbon neutral.

If you would like help in the tree planting, give us a call at 218-388-4487. The Banadad Tree Planting is scheduled for 10:00 AM, Saturday, May 14. Meet at the Poplar Creek Guesthouse, 11 Poplar Creek Drive. Tools and supervision provided.

During both Green-Up weekends lodging is available at Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B and Cabins. Included are Barbara’s famous breakfasts, tree-planting instruction, and planting equipment and tree seedlings. One day planting trees with a trail lunch. Also included during your stay, Ted will make a presentation on the area’s “Fire history, and Reforestation.” Rate for two nights is $89/person/plus taxes, double occupancy. If you need overnight accommodations, go lodging or call 800-388-4487

Spring has Sprung at the Hastings Vineyard

Pam Thorsen — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 04:29:37 +0000

With birds singing and warmer air enticing garden anticipation, the winemakers of our state turn the soil and dig up vines. Spring at a vineyard is hard work and more hard work all to benefit our love of the splendid drink. The tasting room and gift shop at Alexis Bailly Vineyard and Winery is open Fridays and Saturdays in April. This Vineyard and Winery was the first to blossom in Minnesota. David Bailly, (great grandson of Alexis Bailly, one of the first four founders of Hastings) started this family business well over 38 years ago when he planted his first vines. His daughter Nan now follows in his “grape stomping” footsteps. Starting in May they will be open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Hours are always 11am-5:30pm. This is their 33rd Annual Spring Open House (June 3,4,5 and 10,11 and 12). They have a loyal following, some second generation wine connosieurs who now enjoy the fruits of the labor of the second generation of winemakers. The invitation from the Baillys reads “Celebrate the release of our new vintage of wine. Enjoy the grounds with a picnic from our deli: we have local cheeses, breads, salami, desserts and anything you might need for the perfect afternoon. ” And special this year they have added Wine and Wag Fridays 5-7pm during the Spring Open House. Bring your Dog to the Winery! Terry Ann, the Dog Whisperer, will be there to talk to your dog; Stacy Eng from Grand Paws in St. Paul is bringing her nail clippers; Treats from Sojos; and Toumie the Winery Dog will be giving dog tours in the vineyard! Guests at the Classic Rosewood Inn and Spa in Hastings often stop at the winery before checking in to the Inn to choose a fine wine to accompany the in house dinners. Visit their package page for a delightful all inclusive tour of local wineries and eateries.

Ham and Eggs not just for breakfast!

Pam Thorsen — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 23:44:37 +0000

Many chefs at the finest restaurants are now using pricier precious farm fresh eggs as protein options to steak or chicken or pork on dinner menues. Yes morning entrees are not just for breakfast anymore. Breakfast has always been considered “comfort food”. At the end of a long day, why not comfort yourself with egg entrees.

Should you want to emulate Minnesota innkeepers’ cooking for breakfast or dinner, a fine book for “grazing” is The Minnesota Homegrown Cookbook published and organized by the creative inspriring nonprofit Renewing the Countryside. They have specialized in promoting small sustainable operations way before it became popular.

Local food, local restaruants, local inns, local recipes

Try to imagine a meal (AM or PM ) more comforting than Featherbed Eggs, maple syrup glazed ham and rhubarb muffins and then finished off with Minnesota Chocolate Cake. Why is it called Minnesota Chocolate cake? Because one of the ingredients is a cup of good strong Minnesota roasted coffee (leftover from breakfast perhaps) This menu from Ellery House in Duluth uses nearby Joel Rosen’s Park Lake Farm products.

Then imagine Maple Pecan French Toast slathered with local berries and syrup from the maple tree just outside the window of the Loghouse and Homestead in Vergas Minnesota. Sausages might be a potato sausage or a smoked country sausage also made and obtained locally or Suzanne Tweton’s own wild rice sausage. Hungry for another culinary adventure , try the seclections from Dancing Winds Farmstay (Asparagus with goat cheese and morels on fettuccine and yes the morels are from nearby forests and the the goat cheese from of course the goats at Dancing Winds); or how about an entree from Scandinavian Inn in Lanesboro (vegetarian quiche) ; or Classic Rosewood Inn in Hastings (wild rice zucchini pancakes with roasted green beans with sun dried tomatoes, goat cheese and olives on the side).

Hungry yet? You have a few options: Buy the book and get cooking OR buy the book and simply enjoy a good read. Another couple options: tour the MBBA website for your next getaway. You might search for the inns with the Green Journey labels who at very least have a Green policy in place and visit their individual sites to see what that means to them and for you. Know that all the MBBA inns serve a wonderful breakfast and many innkeepers would share their “secrets” so you can emulate for breakfast or dinner at home. Another nice option and a really fun cookbook is the one produced by the Minnesota B & B Association and avaialable from this website. It is More Minnesota Mornings and Beyond.

Purchase online from this website

Snowy night by the fire with a glass of Minnesota wine

Pam Thorsen — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 06:27:09 +0000

Think cold. Think snow. Think warm. Think fireplace at your favorite inn. Now think of enjoying a glass of fine Minnesota wine fireside with your sweetie. Many assume winery visting and tasting is just for summer and fall adventures. The vines are snuggled in under the snow but the wine has been bottled and waiting for you to uncork. There are a few wineries and tasting rooms that are open year ’round. The Northern Vineyards in Stillwater is one favorite and is open seven days a week and a nice stop on your way to your getaway. Also the Cannon River Winery in Cannon Falls keeps winter hours Thursdays through Sundays. The St Croix and Mississippi river valleys are speckled with B & Bs and many offer special winter rates and packages. One inn specializing in Winery Tour Packages throughout the year is Classic Rosewood Inn and Spa.in Hastings. Visit their package page for more information on this all inclusive package that includes dinners and lunches in addition to wine tastings and overnights in a whirlpool-fireplace suite.

Choosing a wine to enjoy at the inn.

St Croix Valley Bird Banding and Snowshoeing

Pam Thorsen — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 16:42:38 +0000

Bird banders at Carpenter St Croix Valley Nature Center in Hastings meet weekly to capture, record, band and release songbirds. Friday December 17th (8:30 AM to noon), the public is invited to watch. There is no admission fee but it is nice to call ahead (651-437-4359) to let them know you are coming. Donations of black oil sunflower seeds are especially welcomed this time of year. The tiny redbreasted nuthatch is a winter specialty at Carpenter’s and quite fun to watch as well as a variety of woodpeckers, the purple finch, white-winged crossbill and the American goldfinch and dark eyed junco. Trails and interpretive exhibits are open daily and a self guided trail map is avaialable. Guests of Classic Rosewood in Hastings and Afton House in Afton enjoy the trails even in the winter when snowshoe rental is available. Nearby is Afton State Park with snow shoe rental ($6) as well as groomed cross country trails.

Alexis Bailly Nouveau just out!

Pam Thorsen — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 15:53:32 +0000

Many will be celebrating the first wine of the 2010 harvest this weekend (November 6th and 7th ) at Alexis Bailly Vineyard in Hastings The Nouveau is Ready! The Wine Tasting is $10 and includes the souvenir wine glass. Live jazz will accompany the release. Each year’s Nouveau release is complimented by a unique label with original artwork by Lifeworks in Hastings. Lifeworks is a nonprofit that helps special needs adults live richer fuller lives and Nan Bailly has commited to that as well. The innkeepers (Dick and Pam Thorsen) from Classic Rosewood Inn and Spa in Hastings are particularly grateful to Liefworks and Nan Bailly as their youngest daughter is a client of Lifeworks.

The Rivers Need you!

Pam Thorsen — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 14:56:16 +0000

The Vermillion Falls in Hastings

Please join us Sat., Oct. 23rd, 9-noon to help plant native willows with other Vermillion Stewards volunteers, Friends of the Mississippi River members and the Department of Natural Resources!

By helping to cut and plant willow stakes, volunteers will be stabilizing streambank along the Vermillion River in the Aquatic Management Area near Farmington and not too far from Hastings. Adding more native willows will increase root mass in the soil and help hold the streambank in place, preventing it from eroding into the stream and impairing water quality and habitat, and thus protecting the river’s cold water trout fishery.

All supplies and guidance are provided. Registration is quick and simple. Individuals, families and groups are all welcome!

To sign up for this event, please reply to Meghan Dudle, mdudle@fmr.org (651-222-2193×23). She will email directions and details to you. This is an ambitious project and we need lots of helping hands! So please do forward to friends, family or coworkers who care about their local environment!

For more event information, please visit:
http://fmr.org.

This event is part of the Vermillion Stewards program, sponsored by the Vermillion Watershed Joint Powers Organization, engaging citizens in the care of the Vermillion River (a major tributary of the Mississippi River), its watershed, and the special places within it.

Guests of Classic Rosewood Inn and Spa in Hastings who sign up for this volunteer commitment will be awarded a $50 voucher toward a future stay.

Minnesota’s Bed and Breakfast Introduce State’s First Green Lodging Certifications

bct — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 10:09:56 +0000

The Minnesota Bed and Breakfast Assocation (MBBA) become the first state wide lodging association to develop a green certification program. Entitled. Green Journey the program recognizes member Inns who are making a commitment to be good environmental stewards.

Inns participating in the “Green Journey Program” are on a journey to decrease their environmental footprint and operate their businesses in a socially responsible manner. Participants realize that being environmental and socially responsible, is the right thing to do, good for the environment and the community. Members of MBBA’s Green Committee, which developed this program, do not see reaching a fix goal but rather a journey whereby each year participants seek to advance their environmental level of achievements.

Under this program Bed and Breakfasts are awarded up to five Green Leaves and one additional green plus symbols (+) based upon their level of participation. Five green leaves and a green + represent the highest level of green achievement.

Many Green Journey inns have also been recognized as a green-friendly-sustainable businesses by “Green Routes,” a Minnesota based independent non-profit authentic travel self-certification program. Green Journey Inns so recognized also display the Green Routes logo.

Currently over half of the hundred and four MBBA member inns are enrolled in the Green Journey program.

Tree Planting on the Gunflint

bct — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:55:11 +0000

The Gunflint’s Banadad Trail Association, friends and neighbors this spring are planting six hundred red Tree Planting along the Banadad and white pines and 100 white spruce trees in previously logged and “blow-down” areas along the eastern end of the Banadad Ski Trail and around Little Ollie Lake. Some 350 trees went into the ground over this past weekend. The remaining trees are planned to be planted during this week by local members of the Association, guests and staff at Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B. As in previous years, the tree planting is a way for the Banadad Trail Association to insure that the maintenance and grooming of the trail remains carbon neutral. Similarly Poplar Creek Guesthosue B&B, in joining with the Association in this project, is seeking to sequester the carbon produced by the use of its vehicles in these new tree

This weekend project was injunction with the Gunflint annual Green-Up.. The year’s event attracted some two hundred participants who in addition to the tree planting along the Banadad began clearing the underbrush, called –releasing’” around trees previously planted during the event in past years.

National Website Announces B&Bs New Green Progarm

bct — Wed, 05 May 2010 17:38:55 +0000

Reporting for, Green Lodging News, Glenn Hasek, states that Minnesota Bed and Breakfasts Associations recently launch Green Journey is, ” at least the second green lodging certification program in the United States for B&Bs. Oregon also has a program. The committee putting together Green Journey looked at Oregon’s program as well as Wisconsin’s Travel Green Wisconsin program.” You may see the entire article at Green Lodging.