Exploring The New Nordic

    We started today going to  Rosendals Trädgård , a large garden just off the grounds of an old castle. We got to go through and see the variety of plants they grow, primarily for the on site cafe. They even had pick your own cut flowers, and the second most northern vineyard. Their were a lot of different birds as well, although some of them had gotten into one of the plots and ate up almost everything. After going through the garden we got to eat lunch at the on site cafe.     At the cafe I got a open faced sandwich with fried onions, goat cheese, and wild garlic and a lemonade to drink. The goat cheese was some of the best cheese I have ever had, it was super smooth and extremely rich, I made sure to finish off the goat cheese left on my fork before I cleaned up my plate. Similar to the day-before's lemonade, it was overly sweet, although I haven't ever found a lemonade I have found to be acidic enough. It seemed like they added something else, the red colo...

  Today we got to embrace nature and go for a Swedish hike with Patrick, our Green Trails guide . Sweden continues to stun me with how amazingly beautiful its nature is. At the beginning of our hike Patrick explained how much the Swedish people value nature. For much of the year Sweden is quite cold and dark, which is not very suitable for hiking activities. This is very similar to Minnesota, where many of us will maximize outdoor activities during the late spring up until the early fall.      Here is a little lake we stopped at on our hike. I didn't even edit the colors, this is just how insanely beautiful nature is in Sweden.     Though the entirety of this hike was absolutely stunning and the most enjoyable nature activity we've done so far, there was one part, in particular, I was quite nervous about. At the beginning of the hike, Patrick had explained that we would be having a bonfire to heat up some food for lunch, but that we would be using a me...

 Today I was able to dine both from the forests of Denmark as well as a Michelin star restaurant. Sounds like opposite ends of the spectrum, but the offerings are more alike than you would think. We first arrived to a castle built in the 13th century called Dragslom . Our guide, Keld, walked us through the forest, farmland, and beach to forage for different plants that are edible along the path (a natural trial mix!). Keld pointed out that most wildflowers are edible, many of them offering honey and sweetness with bites of bitterness. There were also wild garlic plants lining the castle that he told us really stunk up the area when in bloom. Keld showed us plants like sea beets along the shoreline that all had a saltiness that I really appreciated.  My favorite was a typical weed called Goosefoots, formally known as Chenopodium , which is a plant grown as a crop in India. Part of the spinach family, Goose Foot had a very similar look and in my opinion, tasted better. With all ...

 Today I felt especially grounded to the earth and my surroundings. After spending the last few days in Copenhagen, visiting the castle at Dragsholm Castle , which included listening to the birds and feeling the sea breeze on my face, was a refreshing reset to our travel experiences.   After a morning foraging expedition around the castle, we journeyed to a local vineyard and winery. The Dragsholm Castle wall giving way to a garden space and farming land beyond. Nina and Niels are the owners of the vineyard and winery, and were also our hosts for the afternoon.  What began as simply an opportunity to retire to a home on a hillside with a beautiful view has now turned into a full-time experience of growing and harvesting grapes on their property.  After arriving, Nina walked us through the vineyard to describe the grape growing techniques that they are employing as an organic farm in Denmark climate that is farther north than traditional grape producing areas in ...

Mussel Soup One of the most important skills in life is the ability to be curious and willing to try new things. Throughout the travel portion of our course, our comfort zone has been pushed, whether it's been with being away from home, or trying new foods, we are constantly pushing our boundaries and exploring ourselves at the same time as we explore Denmark. This is one of the most important things in life as curiosity allows you to grow and become a better person. Today an example of this was trying mussel soup. We were able to sort mussels and chop vegetables, and then make a mussel soup for everyone to try. Being willing to try things that you haven't done before is important. One of the most interesting comments during the soup tasting was about school children that come to the same organization,  Havhøst . Our guide said that the biggest problem with kids trying mussels for the first time was their parents or teachers being around, and that given their own opportunity to...

 Today's experiential learning was all about foraging! Although we were limited in how much we could find, based on the seasonality of our search, our guides brought along two in season plants for us to sample that one could find if foraging deeper into the forest. The first sampled herb had a hint of spiciness to it while the second herb had more of a citrus/sour taste. Both of these plants went quite well with our sandwiches for lunch but also with some cooked mushrooms that we had as a snack. These mushrooms we prepared can be found in Denmark in the fall or early spring. Making these mushrooms we did not require much ingredients at all; for me, as a vegan, there simply was lemon, salt, pepper and tomato pesto, which was enough to make this meal tasteful. We also prepared a side of asparagus to completing our foraging snack.     Ever since making the decision to become a vegan I have pushed myself to explore more recipes, more vegetables ,and more ways I would be ...

Meet David, owner of  Rensaft Winery ! Although this winery will not be producing wine for about five years from now, it was inspiring to hear his story about moving to the island of  Samsø from Copenhagen and pursuing his aspirations of a biodynamic vineyard. David shared a story with our class about his search to purchase a parcel of land (in hectares of course) from a local farmer and envisioned it as the ideal area for grape-raising (southern facing, on a hillside, with some wind protection). As we stood on the uncultivated hillside, my classmates and I began to imagine returning to a full vineyard in five years time and sample discussed Rensaft Winery's *eventual* masterpiece. David and I after a great day of learning  about all-things organic on Samsø. As an American involved in agriculture, this particular learning experience focused my attention on organically food is organically created in Denmark. In the U.S., it can be viewed by some who are unfamiliar with or...

  The New Nordic class continues to provide experiential learning activities on a daily basis. Today our class was divided into three groups and each group was provided with ingredients and a recipe to prepare one course of a traditional Danish dish. The meal consisted of bread with pesto made from  ramson , ceviche (North Sea cod marinated in lemon juice), and a salad with lentils, rhubarb, and feta cheese.       I was part of the group to make the salad. Initially I thought this would be the easiest one to create, but no, the salad included a vinaigrette which had to be made and a lot of prep work chopping vegetables.  I volunteered to prepare the fresh rhubarb.  Previously I have baked rhubarb bread so my previous experience cutting rhubarb was helpful. After cutting up all of the rhubarb, my group added it to the prepared vinaigrette (made with local honey!) and boiled the lentils.  After the three groups completed their respective dishes...

How does the context of a market, the overall appearance, affect the overall taste and enjoyment associated with purchases from the market? I have been thinking about the appearance of market goods today as our class investigated two markets that were in close geographic proximity to each other, but were staged very differently. We started this morning by visiting the first of the two markets,  Torvhallerne , or "the glass halls." Torvhallerne consists of two glass walled buildings filled with different stands. There are heaps of gelato, cases of beautiful chocolates, high shelves of liquor, expensive cheeses, and seafood garnished with flowers. Outside, there are bundles of beautiful flowers and crates of the most beautiful produce I've ever seen. Our second market located not too far away was the "green market." Local makers set up tents and tables to sell their goods, from produce to baked goods to alcohol. It is much less formal and lavish than Torvhallerne,...

A lake view from our hike. If you had asked me before this trip, I probably would have told you that I hate hiking. I have not been considered a “tall kid”, as I once did, since I stopped growing around the age of 13. Over time I have seen that my overall pace is quite behind that of my peers when walking on campus and recently I was described as having “corgi legs” by a cycling instructor. I could certainly do something to improve my pace like taking regular walks or finding a local hiking trail in Minnesota, but adequate access to public transportation available around the Twin Cities has not made walking a necessity. The amount of walking associated with our course, although hinted at by our instructor prior to our travels, was more than I typically engaging in. My preferred method of walking is a slow, meandering pace accompanied by listening to music through earbuds. Upon reflection of my typical walking style, I am sure that this acts as a way for me to meditate and slow the f...

On day five of our class journey in Copenhagen we had a beautiful excursion out of the city to a forest area on the outskirts of  Skodsborg . For this experiential learning opportunity our class traveled about 30 minutes out of Copenhagen via train, but the atmosphere was so peaceful and different that we felt we were much farther from a big city.  An overall theme to the course is for my classmates and I to understand food locality and seasonality, which are strong concepts in the New Nordic food movement. In this beautiful forest you can find several different plant herbs that are available for harvesting and eating; even the leaves of beech trees are safe and good for human consumption! We travelled along the forest paths, picking and trying local herbs that could be found growing here. Along the way of the path we took short meditations, a term for this is "forest bathing" where one can meditate in nature to soak up the experiences, sounds, smells, tastes, and sensations...

  Hej from Denmark!  Our class has arrived in Scandinavia and is ready to begin our explorations into Nordic food and culture.  One of our first activities was to engage our senses while sampling traditional Danish foods at Peder Ox .   ​     Peder Ox is a quaint Nordic-French restaurant that has been nestled into the heart of old town Copenhagen, Grabrodretorv, since 1975. Guests are initially drawn to the front door by the golden-orange glow of the old facade, painted in with the vibrant reds and yellows of the surrounding historic architecture.       Stepping in, you feel as though you have been invited to a family dinner table in a rustic countryside cottage, perhaps experiencing an example of the Danish concept of “hygge” (pronounced hue-gah) - which describes the Danish way of enjoying simple pleasures through things such as cozy atmosphere, joyful friends, and comforting food, which is exactly what Peder Ox brings together....