Auction Items
101
Dinner by Beth Dooley
$2000Perennial foods dinner in your home with James Beard Award-winning food writer Beth Dooley
Enjoy a sustainably and locally sourced, one-of-kind dinner for six (6) in your own home prepared by renowned food writer and Minneapolitan Beth Dooley.
The menu will be inspired by Beth's latest book The Perennial Kitchen and feature recipes that embrace regenerative agriculture, the method of growing small and large crops with ecological services. You'll enjoy a meal that's delicious and healthy, made from ingredients that help to retain topsoil, sequester carbon, and return nutrients to the soil. Fine wine will be provided from Solo Vino in consultation with Beth Dooley and paired with the menu.
This is a unique chance to have a fixture in the Twin Cities' food scene prepare a meal in your own home and learn about agricultural practices that provide a range of ecological services.
Beth Dooley has authored and co-authored over a dozen books celebrating the bounty of America's Northern Heartland. Beth writes for the Taste section of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune, and appears regularly on KARE 11 (NBC) television and MPR Appetites with Tom Crann. She co-authored The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen with Sean Sherman, winner of the James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook. Other titles include: Savory Sweet: Preserves from a Northern Kitchen, In Winter's Kitchen: Growing Roots and Breaking Bread in the Northern Heartland, Minnesota's Bounty: The Farmers Market Cookbook, The Northern Heartland Kitchen and coauthored Savoring the Seasons of the Northern Heartland with Lucia Watson, among other books.
Details: Dinner will take place at a mutually agreed upon date sometime from October 2021 to May 2022. If the date must be changed last minute, Beth and the host will work to reschedule it ASAP. This item includes wine and cost of food.
Learn more about Beth Dooley and her work here.
104
Vail condo
$2100Enjoy a one-week summer or fall stay with your friends or family in picturesque Vail, Colorado! This stunning 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom condo in Lions Square Lodge at the Gondola is perfectly situated to play, relax, and restore in the dramatic Vail Valley landscape. The condo has panoramic views of the mountains, a full kitchen, accommodations for six, and access to a shared outdoor pool.
Nestled in the White River National Forest, Vail offers numerous rivers to explore and enjoy - Gore Creek or Eagle River for world-class fly fishing, the Colorado River for whitewater rafting - as well as hiking by foot or gondola, mountain biking, stargazing, and more! If relaxation and restoration is more your speed, then relax and reset at one of the many luxurious spas.
Details: The condo is available June 1, 2022 - November 15, 2022, except for 4th of July and Labor Day weekends. The donor kindly requests reservations be made as soon as practical. The summer and fall seasons are an attractive time to be in Vail, and the rental calendar fills up quickly. The home sleeps six (6). Does not include travel.
View pictures of this condo here.
201
Build a wooden paddle
$275Win a Folk School 'Build a Wooden Paddle' Class for Two
Marine Mills Folk School (MMFS) is a traditional arts & crafts school located in scenic Marine on St. Croix, less than an hour from the Twin Cities. The school offers fun, hands-on classes where you can learn traditional skills and folk arts, taught by local artist-instructors.
Your winning bid will provide you with a certificate good for two (2) participants to register for the MMFS 'Build a Wooden Paddle' Folk School class in Marine on St. Croix. This highly popular class occurs most months, and usually sells out quickly-you're gonna love it!
The folk school tradition traces its origins to Scandinavian countries, with N.F.S. Grundtvig of Denmark coining the term 'schools for life' as part of his philosophy of education, and of his vision for strengthening and empowering communities. MMFS focuses on an unplugged, deliberate approach, with an emphasis on intergenerational learning that is fun, collaborative and restorative.
Details. Good for two (2) spots in a 'Build a Wooden Paddle' class, and expires 12/31/22
Visit Marine Mills Folk School marinemillsfolkschool.org for information on upcoming classes.
301
Houlton restoration tour
$320Tour of William H. Houlton Conservation Area and Elm Creek Brewery tasting
You and ten of your friends will take a tour of this 335-acre property located at the confluence of the Elk and Mississippi rivers. With more than a mile of Mississippi riverfront, it is one of the largest undeveloped properties on the river between the cities of Elk River and Hastings.
Since 2015, FMR has been working to restore the site to native plant and animal communities. A major focus of the restoration has the transformation of a former 160 acre agricultural field to a diverse native prairie. In 2018 the restored prairie bloomed for the first time in more than 100 years. Additionally, we're thrilled that FMR's ecological surveys of the site have shown an increased number and diversity of species utilizing the restoration.
During our tour we will visit the active turtle nest enclosure along the river's edge, view birds and other critters returning to and utilizing the site, and FMR Ecologist Alex Roth will brief us on the research he has been conducting on restoration methods at this site over the past few years.
After your tour take a trip to Champlin's first small craft brewery and taproom - Elm Creek Brewery - for a well-deserved refreshment.
Details: Item includes an exclusive tour of William H. Houlton Conservation Area by FMR Ecologist Alex Roth and $75 gift card to Elm Creek Brewing.
304
Sanborn Canoe paddle
$280Mescousin artisan painted paddle from Sanborn Canoe Co.
Based in Winona, MN along the banks for the Mighty Mississippi, Sanborn Canoe Company is known for their handcrafted and artful canoes and paddles. The winning bidder of this item will take home the Mescousin artisan-painted Sanborn paddle. This fine crafted paddle can be displayed as art or used in the open water - or both!
The Mescousin River runs nearly the entire length of the state of Wisconsin. When French explorers arrived in the 17th century, they were told by the Fox people that the river was called Mescousing. Within a few years they were calling it the Ouiscousin, then the Ouisconsing, and eventually settled on the Wisconsin.
Paddle details.
Paddle Durability: Cabin Cruiser Blade
Dimensions: 5" x 26"
Paddle Length :58"
Weight: 25.00 Ounces
View the paddle online here.
402
Sitka Salmon Shares
$160Box of sustainably-caught Alaskan salmon
Sitka Salmon Shares is a community supported fishery (CSF) similar to a CSA. Instead of locally grown fruits and vegetables, they deliver a share of our responsibly harvested, wild-caught Alaska seafood directly to your doorstep. Their small-boat family fishermen, many of whom are owners of the company, take great pride in catching the best fish with love and care, and respect the limits of what the ocean provides.
This 4.5-5lb box of Alaskan salmon was caught with low-impact methods by Sitka Salmon Shares fishermen owners and trusted partners across the Last Frontier state. The box includes salmon from different fisheries and river systems, allowing you to taste and compare the merroir of each unique fish. Like fine wines, these fish are biologically distinct and unique based on how and where they are harvested. Visit sitkasalmonshares.com to learn more about their unique process of delivering fresh fish to your door.