Food Facts and Recipes

FOOD FACTS

We are here to dispel myths and build trust in farm families

Food provides nutrition we need every day. It is also the cornerstone of many cultures and life celebrations. It is no suprise that food brings friends and families together for conversations around the breakfast, dinner and supper table.

Have you ever wondered who is growing your food and if it’s safe? At CommonGround North Dakota, we help you find answers. We invite you to tour our farms, attend events and join in conversations with our
farmers and volunteers. Together we will sort through the myths and misconceptions surrounding food and farming.

We invite you to watch our volunteers from across the nation discuss the food and farming topics that matter to you most. Click on each topic to hear from our trusted source the family farmer:

RECIPES

CommonGround North Dakota has pulled together tried-and-true recipes from bloggers, farmers and agricultural groups throughout the state. Each recipe features North Dakota-grown and raised ingredients courtesy of soybean, corn, barley, wheat, durum, dry bean, potato, sunflower, sugar beet, canola, flax, pork, beef, lamb, dairy and honey producers.

BrowseCategories
BreadsBreakfastCakesDessertsHolidayMain DishesPastaSaladsSide Dishes
Southwestern Beef WrapBy Nancy Jo BatemanLeftover pot roast gets a punch of flavor from salsa. A quick tomato-corn relish gets folded into a tortilla along with the leftover beef for a hearty handheld meal.
Elizabeth’s Chocolate PuddingBy Linda FunkThis recipe is from The Soyfoods Council and Elizabeth Karmel, grillmaster and author of Taming the Flame; A Southern Girl’s Sassy Guide to Grilling and BBQ. This dessert is so easy and incredibly delicious, a real show stopper. Learn more about sweet nutritious soyfoods here: https://bit.ly/SweetNutritiousSoyfoods
Ten Dollar Fruit PieBy CommonGroundVerna Wolf of Killdeer, North Dakota, grew up on a farm in western North Dakota near the town of Alexander in McKenzie County, to be exact. Her family's farm was diversified. They ran Hereford cattle and raised wheat and occasionally oats. It was against this backdrop that she grew up. Chores were ever present. It was Verna's duty to let chickens out of the coop and feed them, gather eggs without breaking them, lock the hens up at night, even when the coyotes howled over the next hill. Skunks loved eggs, so we had to be sure there was no way for them to get into the coop. It was also on Verna's chore list to go to the pasture and bring the cows home to the barn for milking. She helped milk in evenings and was kicked many times while doing that. Gardens were a must then. So she often found herself on hands and knees weeding the veggies by hand. When Verna grew older, she was put on the tractor and was taught to one-way the summer fallow fields. One-way was a machine that worked the soil with big discs and killed the weeds. Putting up hay was an early summer event. Again, she drove the tractor and raked hay into windrows for later baling. After baling she would then drive the tractor and would pull the wagon through the fields as her Dad loaded bales onto it by hand. About the same time, she had learned to drive a truck and hauled grain during harvest from combine to bin. Also, it was always house cleaning on Saturday. She hung clothes on the clothes line up the hill on wash day. This always led to ironing. Not all was work. Verna rode her bike up every hill on the farm to market road near their family's farm. She also did a lot of hiking in the prairie hills and always had a dog for a companion. There was time to read, also. Life wasn't so hectic. Visiting neighbors was common and there were card parties, too. We didn't have as many conveniences then, but those that did would have-electricity, gas stoves, propane furnace as opposed to coal- our family was glad to have. Verna says, "A pretty good way to grow up."
Mexican HotdishBy CommonGroundThis yummy Mexican Hotdish recipe is CGND Volunteer Bridgette Readel's family favorite! Bridgette said that her mom would make this quick hotdish during planting or harvest. She said that those were the times that they needed hearty and quick meals. Bridgette's mom would have it ready and they could fill a plate and be out the door pretty fast for the next chore!
Angel Food CakeBy CommonGroundCGND Volunteer Kristi Melvin shared her favorite angel food cake recipe that has always been a special treat in her life. Kristi said that when she meet her husband, his grandma, Carrie Melvin, made the best angel food cakes around. Kristi remembers how she was a quiet lady and loved to make angel food cakes for family and friends. When Carrie was 99 she still made Kristi an angel food cake for her birthday. Kristi says that she was lucky enough to learn Carrie's special tricks to make the angel food cake just right. Kristi has now passed the love of making angel food cake on to the next generation. Kristi and her family loves to make Carrie's angel food cake for birthdays and on Easter Sunday.
Mexican Veggie SaladBy CommonGroundHappy National Salad Month! National Salad Month encourages people to incorporate more salads into their diet. CGND found the perfect salad to celebrate with from our friends at The Soyfoods Council.
Pearled Barley HotdishBy CommonGroundMay is beef month and this yummy Pearled Barley Hotdish Heritage Recipe from CGND Volunteer Elli Ressler is her family's favorite. The recipe comes from Elli's Great Grandma Bertha and she remembers her Grandma Liz making it frequently when she was growing up. Elli's mom makes it now and it is a great meal to take out to the field during planting and harvest!
Carmel RollsBy CommonGroundThis yummy, melt in your mouth, carmel roll recipe is from CommonGround North Dakota Volunteer Jessica Gauslow's grandmother, Rose Horner. Rose farmed and raised 11 children near Bernstad, North Dakota. You may not find Bernstad on a map, but it is south west of Napoleon, North Dakota near Beaver Lake State Park. This year, the Gauslow family made Grandma Rose's special carmel roll on Easter morning.
Grandma Rath’s Ice Cream by CGND Volunteer Bridgette ReadelBy CommonGroundA few years ago, my extended family put together a family cookbook. My aunt submitted this recipe which I typed up just as Grandma wrote it because it’ll make you smile as you read it! I will always remember having homemade ice cream for holiday and special occasions at grandma’s house. It’s such a familiar treat that when my siblings got married, I got them each an ice cream maker! We’d also make homemade cream puffs to fill with the ice cream and slather in chocolate syrup! Ice cream was a favorite late evening snack when neighbors would visit during the long winter months and on occasion the hired man would have to go to the barn and milk the cows again because there wasn’t enough cream to fill the ice cream container. True story folks! Photo Caption: Bridgette's Aunt (baby) is held by grandma Erna Rath, next is great grandma Maria Rudolf and great great grandma Katherina Meidinger.
Baklava by Annette L. – CGND’s Holiday Traditions Contest Recipe WinnerBy CommonGroundMaking baklava with my daughter Suzanne on Christmas Eve is a tradition held for the last 15 years, but the recipe goes further back in our family. In the 1970s, I came across a Greek recipe with a funny name that was unlike anything that had graced our kitchen (and we have not an ounce of Greek heritage). Unsure where I got the recipe, everyone was happy I did. And Suzanne, the one who hated walnuts, loved this more than any of us. Even asking for a pan of baklava instead of birthday cake each year. This concoction of finely chopped walnuts, cinnamon, and sugar suspended between butter-soaked, paper thin layers of pastry, and infused with golden honey is swoon-worthy. Suzanne says I was ahead of my time, making baklava in Fargo at a time when a Norwegian treat was as exotic as they came. It has evolved into a cherished Christmas Eve tradition of mother and daughter taking a little time out of all the holiday craziness to be together, just the two of us, creating a delightful dessert. It’s the most delicious baklava I’ve tasted. Maybe it’s sentiment, but I doubt it; this baklava is just the best!
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Thank you volunteers and partners

We are volunteers that work with partners. We share our time, energy and dollars to help with events and to keep conversations going about food and farming with our consumers.

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