The Green Giant Tour Photo Montage

These are photos from the Green Giant Valley Tour sponsored by General Mills. All of the photos posted were taken by the professional photographer.  Enjoy!

Green Lessons at the Giant's Valley

Members of "The Press" may already be accustomed to being wined, dined, and wowed by the charm of manufacturers seeking to impress, but I'm not a member of that elite group, so I soaked up being spoiled at the Green Giant Valley.  I know that my trip was an effort to introduce us to the brand of Green Giant, a brand owned by General Mills. It was fantastic, and it set the bar high for future press trips. 

Here's my first review of the trip: Green Giant's Green Lessons.

Green Giant History

Green Giant used to be called Minnesota Valley Canning Company, and it was founded in 1903 in La Seuer, MN, a quaint farming community about an hour from Minneapolis. It gained the name "Green Giant" after the green peas that the canning company processed. In addition to peas, the company grew and canned corn, starting with cream-style corn-off-the-cob. The canning company eventually adopted the name Green Giant in 1950, after a successful advertising campaign in which they developed the the slogan "Picked at the Fleeting Moment of Perfect Flavor." 

The branding has been extremely successful. My family, most of whom reside in Minnesota, instantly recognizes Green Giant, and my mom continually referred to it as the Jolly Green Giant brand. My grandfather, a corn, hog, steer, and chicken farmer from the southwest corner of MN, recognized the name and the influence the company has had on farmers throughout the state, many of whom have probably grown some of the corn we've eaten under the Green Giant label. It was fascinating to hear the history of such an influential business that had a strong impact on my own family. 

Green Giant Innovation

What impressed me about the Green Giant innovation was the research that was put into identifying the exact moment of "perfect ripeness." A researcher at Green Giant applied a ripeness theory that based the vegetable's development on average daily temperatures. As the temperatures fluctuated, the vegetables's ripeness was assigned a number, and when a certain value was reached, the vegetable had reached its peak ripeness and should be harvested. By using the ripeness theory, called the "heat unit theory," Green Giant ensures that all of the vegetables processed for its products are ideally ripe. I was really impressed with that, though I admit that I'd never applied too many brain cells to understanding how a farmer/producer could identify that perfect window of harvest time. 

Sustainability

One other element of Green Giant's business that actually surprised me was the focus on sustainability and green business practices. When I helped edit and publish That's Natural, we often assumed that the larger companies didn't concern themselves with their impacts on the communities or environments around them, and as a writer, I soon found that was an inaccurate assumption. I realized that I still held some of those concepts before the presentation by one of the agronomists at Green Giant.  He explained the efforts to streamline farming practices, including using land and water more efficiently and implementing Integrated Pest Management methods, a practice advocated by organic farmers to eliminate pesticide use. Some of the ideas even came from Cascadian Farms, another brand operated by General Mills and one that is well recognized by organic consumers. It was interesting to see the full integration of the brands within a company and to see that "the big guys" are a lot more eco-conscious than they are credited. 

Research

General Mills and Green Giant operate several research projects as well as production testing. They have collaborated with the University of Minnesota, University of Arkansas, and the Nature Conservancy to learn more about resource management and development of production methods for the future. It was interesting to hear about the different projects they have, including an expected project focusing on preserving and reviving the honey bee population, which is swiftly dying out. I was quite impressed with  hearing about their forward-focus approach in understanding and improving the land from which they harvest their famous vegetables.

Conclusion

While I have always recognized Green Giant as a premium brand of vegetables, I now understand why it is such a high quality brand. The production efforts alone distinguish it as a company that stands behind its products. Because increasing vegetable intake in America's diet is so important, it's easy to recommend Green Giant. Some naysayers would argue that Green Giant is a brand of highly processed food, and I will give them partial credit for that. The food is processed, so it would be ideal to grow your own produce or visit a local farmstand frequently and avoid processed items altogether. However, for those who cannot grow their own or who can't get to a farmers market as easily, purchasing frozen or canned vegetables may be a great option. When vegetables are out of season, which for many of us is over half of a year, then purchasing vegetables that are harvested and preserved "at the perfect ripeness" would be a better choice than purchasing foods that are shipped from other parts of the world. Because Green Giant also emphasizes producing food in a greener manner, I would also recommend them as a brand to consider if a business' practices are as important to you. They don't offer organic vegetables through this label; that's what Cascadian Farms is for. However, if you want conventionally but deliberately grown frozen or canned vegetables, then Green Giant could be a label you might consider. 

All in all, I was very impressed with the company and with the employees that took time to answer questions and inform us on the work they do to keep the high quality of Green Giant's food. It was interesting to see the fields, the processing plant, and the town in which Green Giant was founded. 

For a press trip, I'd say this was well done. 

Photo credit: all photos were taken by a professional photographer at the Green Giant Valley Visit. You can see the rest of the photos here.

Giant experience at the Green Valley

Today was really incredible. I've posted some pictures through Facebook, so I hope you've been able to follow. I'll do more full write up when I get home, but I must say that my initial reactions have been so positive and impressed. I was thrilled at the VIP treatment each blogger received, but more importantly, I was pleased at the transparency of the research. Of course, we were restricted on what we could photograph of the research lab and testing area, but they still allowed us to tour the facilities, ask all of our questions, and even play at harvesting.

We truly have had an amazing visit. I am so honored that I was selected to be among 25 other bloggers, many of whom write their blogs as full time jobs. It was sort of like stepping into the minor leagues after playing middle school baseball. Whatever that would seem like. I have been trying to learn and chat and write as much as possible. I can't wait to share!

Tonight, we enjoyed a memorable dinner at Bar la Grassa, a well known restaurant in the Warehouse District owned by Chef Isaac Becker. I am always a little fearful of a large group of diners descending on a famous restaurant, but this restaurant handled it marvelously. I suspect that General Mills may have hosted events there before, because we were given all-start treatment. A five-course dinner, three pre-selected wines, and access to the cocktail menu resulted in 25 very satisfied bloggers. Even better, I found myself among similar foodies, those who would sacrifice the temperature of food in order to achieve that ideal picture of what we are about to partake. None of us even reached for forks until the last click of the cameras. Hilarious...and strangely unifying.

I had a chance to meet Chef Becker, too. One of the other bloggers here is also a culinary arts student, and she and I totally dorked it out and had a chance to meet the chef and introduce ourselves. Okay, our interaction lasted maybe a minute, but I was pleased that he agreed to step over and meet us during the height of the dinner rush.

Tomorrow we all depart for home at different times in the day. I am going to spend a quick afternoon with relatives and catch the last flight back to Seattle. What a great way to knock out another commitment! I am looking forward to seeing some cousins and my grandmother. Such a whirlwind, but definitely blog-changing. I have gained interesting information about how to blog differently, how to look at myself as a blogger in a different way, and how to seek out sponsorship and educational information to enhance the information I can provide my readers.

More details on the trip soon.

Grass is Greener in the Green Giant Valley

Well, after a mild adventure traveling to Minnesota, I arrived at the Marriott in Edina. Not surprisingly, it looks very much like Eden Prairie. To be fair, the two communities are relatively close to each other, but sadly, much of western Minneapolis looks sort of the same: green rolling hills, lakes everywhere, minivans drifting lazilly along on a freeway that ends in -94. There's the 494, the 94, and so forth. Good thing nobody asked me to drive.

As soon as I walked into the hotel, I was greeted by a friendly concierge and by Vicky Lewko, one of our marketing representatives. She handed me a bag with - gasp!- a new pair of Hunter Wellington boots, a folder of information about Green Giant Valley, and a fatty packet containing bios of the other professional bloggers and the agenda for the 24 hour trip. WOW. This is my first real blogger event that I had to travel to, and after this and Keren Brown's Foodportunity blogger events, I must say that I am totally hooked.

After a brief rest, I headed back to the hotel lobby, and we were whisked away to Lake Minnetonka to ride a Steamship Supper Club boat, called the Isabella, operated by Al & Alma's. Essentially, the boat steams around the lake, and we eat and drink. Works for me. The attendants gave us two drink tickets, and then they opened a nice buffet for the guests. A few General Mills employees, including members of the marketing team and the agronomy - research scientists - joined us for dinner. I also met several of the other bloggers and had a chance to chat with them. They come from a wide variety of backgrounds, expertise, and intentions. It was pretty cool.

Tomorrow, we will have breakfast around 8am, and there is supposed to be a special guest. Then we will head off to La Seur, where the actual growing and processing of Green Giant vegetables takes place. We will get to tour a seed vault and a test plant. I'm really excited about this. My new blogger friend, Katie (lilveggiepatch) had a chance to chat with Tom R., one of the senior research scientists. He explained that there is a great deal of oversight and collaboration between Green Giant scientists and the growers producing the vegetables. He also shared some of the things that they have been working on, such as switching to more sustainable practices in use of resources. Pretty interesting! I can't wait to see it tomorrow.

Then for dinner, we will be dining at Bar La Grassa, a super-trendy restaurant in the Warehouse district. Chef Isaac Becker is a James Beard Award winner for being a top rated chef in the Midwest, and Food & Wine gave it a shout-out as a "best new Italian eatery" where the chef can cook pasta in "every which way." I'm looking forward to checking that out! Seattle has some pretty awesome Italian places, like Volterra and Staple and Fancy Mercantile, so I think I've got some palate to stand on.

I forgot to bring my camera cord to transfer pictures, so you'll have to deal with mobile posts on the Facebook page for now. Looking forward to a great adventure! I hope my phone's batteries last!

Off to Green Giant Valley!

So...where's Kimberly going this week?

I am heading to Minnetonka, MN, to visit the Green Giant Valley.

This is a trip sponsored by General Mills. My Pepperdine University Alpha Phi sorority sister, Stephanie Nordstrom, has been working on PR and Marketing with General Mills, and she has connected me with some cool opportunities.

In a recent marketing effort, General Mills has invited bloggers and food writers to visit the Green Giant Valley and visit the plants. The trip is designed to teach us how frozen vegetables are grown and processed. I'll get to join other bloggers, like MommyPR and Coconut & Lime. I am not a professional blogger like these bloggers, so I'm really looking forward to absorbing information and learning from them.

We are going to take a dinner cruise around Lake Minnetonka, view the fields, and visit the Green Giant museum! To top it all off, the trip is all expenses paid, so I'll get my own bed (sorry hubby) and have some meals paid for!

And I get to visit a company that has a long history with my family. Let me explain.

My grandfather, Charles King, worked for General Mills as a baker and researcher. He worked on well-known products, like the Bugles. Most of my relatives live in Minnesota, because my parents grew up there. These relatives have encouraged me to take a closer look at General Mills as a company for which I could do research and development once I graduate from the Seattle Culinary Academy. So here I go, off to visit a potential employer and off to see a very interesting food processing process!

I head out in the morning, and I hope to post some more details.

I'm pretty excited, because I am so curious about frozen foods and about frozen vegetables. Many people believe that it's more important to buy fresh vegetables over frozen vegetables, but in reality, frozen vegetables often have a higher nutrient content because they were processed at a riper state than vegetables that have to travel further distances. That said, nothing beats a fresh, locally grown vegetable, but when it isn't available, buying a frozen vegetable doesn't make you a less nutritious person. But try not to reach for canned vegetables as often - these can be high in sodium and the texture is usually affected by the high heat of the canning process. Not a great way to introduce more fruits and veggies to your diet. Stick with fresh or frozen for best results.

Sources:
Eating Well

Livestrong

You can follow my location updates at my Facebook page - Peas On Moss or on Twitter - @PeasOnMoss.

2Q Sushi Station Success

Chef KG is notorious for having high expectations for students in second quarter, and one of the more challenging stations in the culinary rotations is the sushi station. A few students may have rolled sushi in their lives, usually for fun, and they may not have been as intimidated by the station. In addition to being a food item that I've made only a few times and have generally had saggy, half-filled sushi rolls that would certainly earn a head-shake or a "why you do that!" shout from the chef, I really wanted to have my food done  early - certainly earlier than many of the sushi dishes that were made in our kitchen this quarter, which barely made the 12:30 "last call" at times.

We're generally expected to get done with our assigned dish by 11:00, which also applies to getting food delivered to both the Buzz and Square One during lunch service, and I wanted to have my sushi boxes finished by 11:00 and my lunch plates by 11:30. That's no easy task, because we started our kitchen time at 9:00, so we only have about 1 hr and 45 minutes to have all the rolling, cutting, and boxing completed.

 There was a rumor that Alexis, a classmate with whom I'd started in First Quarter before going to Hong Kong, had kicked butt on the sushi station and had gotten her boxes out by 11. So, I asked her for help. She gave me her notes. These are her notes, with some random changes that I made. Now I'm posting them online so subsequent classes can get their sushi out on time too.

I followed Alexis' notes pretty closely after re-writing them so that I could glance at them quickly. I was partnered with a pastry student named Cheyenne, who had considerable kitchen experience and was really helpful. So you're right, I didn't do this all alone, and I honestly don't know how it could be done in a 100 minute time frame, if you were completely alone the whole time. At 10:00 each day, 1Q students come to help, and we almost always assign one of those students to the sushi station to help out.

I also spent an afternoon at the library with "Sushi" and other books that helped me learn something about Japanese food. If the Japanese have a food attitude like the Cantonese do, then it's important to try to make sushi to the best of your abilities, because your respect as a cook is gained by how your food tastes and looks. Plus, being Asian, I felt that Chef KG would expect me to be able to do something correctly!

Here are Alexis' notes.

Prep the day before (takes about an hour):

1) Wash and soak rice 

2) Skewer and boil shrimp (Ebi); remove shell and butterfly to the tail from the belly side

3) Prep product - English cucumber (keep peel, cut into thin wedges, length = nori sheet)

                        - Yellow radish (Takuwan) - wedges, length = nori sheet

                        - Eel (unagi) - thaw

                        - Shiitake mushrooms - stew if needed or find the frozen ones (then thaw them), slice

                        - Atsuyaki Tamago (omelette) - cook, wrap tightly and refrigerate

                        - Spinach - blanch and dry on paper towels

                        - Brown gourd (Kanpyo) - trim to nori length; 2 strips per roll

                        - Surimi (imitation crab meat) - trim to nori length

                        - Black sesame seeds (Iri goma) - lightly toast

4) Cut Nori sheets

                        24 x 1/2 size sheets

                        18 x 1/4 inch strips

                        4 x full size sheets

5) Check Sushi Su and make more if needed

6) Make Te-su (hand water)

7) Gather your Buzz boxes - box, chopsticks, soy sauce, rubberbands - 12 each

8) Gather but don't prep - Avocado, wasabi (green horseradish-like powder), ginger (Gari), Tobiko (flying fish roe), Denbu (pink cod flakes)

9) Put mayonnaise in a little resealable zipper bag (cut the tip off the next day to pipe out easily)

Sushi Day of

1) Start Rice at 9:00

2) Trim Tamago - cut the Nigiri slices first, then cut the maki slices

3) Cut avocado into wedges, reconstitute the wasabi, use a fork to get the Gari, put small spoons in the roe and denbu containers (don't contaminate with your hands)

4) Slice shiitake mushrooms, if not already done and tranche cut the unagi (eel)

5) Set up the fan and a large mixing bowl with the rice paddles to fan the rice

6) Measure out your shari-zu and be ready to stir into the rice when it's ready

7) Arrange your ingredients according to the rolls you're making so you can factory-assemble when ready

At 9:30, your rice should be ready

8) Transfer your rice to the large mixing bowl, pour your Shari zu all over the rice, stir it in, using the point of the paddle rather than the flat, so you don't smash the rice. The fan should be blowing the whole time to cool it enough to handle

Portion your rice:

    18 x 3 oz Rice (Kappa, Takuwa, Kanpyo Maki)

    18 x 1 oz Rice (Ebi, Unagi, Tamago Nigiri)

    6 x 4 oz Rice (California Roll)

    4 x 10 oz Rice (Futomaki Roll)

9) Set up your sushi rolling station by putting a Maki-su on your cutting board and covering it with plastic. This is rather important, because the rolls will stick and make a crazy mess

Roll your Buzz boxes first, skipping some of the rolls for student lunch.

4 Futomaki

4 California

4 Kappa

4 Takuwan

4 Kanpyo

12 Boxes - take 4 to Square One and 8 to the Buzz by 11:00

Student Lunch plates

Leftover Futomaki rolls

2 California

2 Kappa

2 Takuwan

6 Ebi Nigiri

6 Unagi Nigiri

6 Tamago Nigiri

Learning from Others

Foodportunity event "From Pitch to Publish" on April 26

At the beginning of my second quarter in culinary school, I had the opportunity to know Keren Brown as an intern for Foodportunity. My fellow interns and I had dubbed ourselves Foodportunists. It was a month of lessons, notes, tasks, emails, PSAs, and phone calls. I started a little black notebook in which to write my thoughts, lessons, and bits of advice that I've gleaned from our meetings, emails, and conversations. It's fourteen pages, and I only started at the end of March. Now, you may wonder, how much did Kimberly really have to record? Well, when I started the internship, I went into it determined to learn as much as I could. When I'm in sponge mode, I write down about 70% of what the individual says, especially if she starts by saying, "Let me tell you what I did (correctly or incorrectly) so you can learn from me..." When a preamble like that arises, I whip out my pen and write down the story and the lesson.

I've heard that good leaders know how to identify their weaknesses and know how to surround themselves with those who have those strengths. While I won't boast about my leadership skills - you'd have to ask past subordinates of mine - I will say that I try my best to surround myself with individuals who will sharpen me and seek to help me grow. I look up to the bosses and CEOs who lead by example, working and living in such a way as they would like their employees to work and live. Maybe that's why I've surrounded myself with artistic friends, like my dearest friend in New York whose heart is in Europe or a close friend who still serves in the military. I know that my strengths are not art, or politics, or music, or counseling. Therefore, I surround myself with the friends and co-workers who possess those strengths so I can learn from them and rely on them. I hope they can rely on me for something that I can do well.

The same concept applies to school. We have all come from different backgrounds with greatly varied strengths and skills. I had a classmate in my first quarter of culinary school who spent his non-school hours in a well respected kitchen. He could brunoise and julienne like I couldn't believe. So I tried to stand next to his cutting board as often as I could so I could study his technique. Even emulating the actions helps teach me something.

Another classmate has spent years teaching and cooking. She has an instinct for food and a passion for life that helps me focus on what I'm at school to learn. I like to get feedback from her about the food I've cooked - the flavor, the texture, even the cooking method - because she provides constructive feedback that helps me improve. She also encouraged me a few times over the quarter when I felt that I'd completely botched a dish or project.

Anne is teaching me to make really tasty fried chicken.

Since I have a nutrition background, it would be so easy to zone out in some lectures. This quarter, I'm trying hard to keep up with the readings, taking notes and noting questions to ask the Chef. I try to get his perspective on things from the book and try to hear from his experiences. Just like my Foodportunity internship, I am trying to maximize on the time that I have to learn from this individual. I mean, why not?

I've also been surprised at where the sources of knowledge are. One classmate already owns an ice cream business, and he's really familiar with the ups and downs thereto. Other students in the program know well how it is to work and take classes. Even others also bear the responsibilities of parenthood in addition to classwork and paid work.

Our instructors come from a variety of backgrounds and educational levels, including education backgrounds, prestigious schooling, and lots and lots of kitchen experience.

My favorite barista, of whom I've been a fan for a while, is actually a chef who has worked hard to put together cooking classes - called Community Kitchen courses - and after-school cooking classes. Even though he's zooming all over Seattle teaching different cooking lessons to adults and children, he has always taken the time to give me advice, perspective, and a little more hands-on training if I feel that I've missed a detail somewhere.

Ryan showed me to write everything down. Here he's making modifications to a recipe.

Another source of wisdom is the former director of the food program at the Senior Center where I spent a year volunteering. She was very familiar with attempting to build a nutritionally sound program for senior citizens using a bare bones budget and donated food products. And the meals were actually quite fresh and filling.

Potential lessons exist all around me. It's great being in school - but for the homework part - and I'm trying to remember to constantly be in student mode. It doesn't really matter what I already know. Reinforcing the known and learning new is a great thing.

Angela taught me about proper tea preparation