Statewide blog

The unmistakable aroma of preserved fish

Posted at 2:00 PM on December 4, 2012 by Dan Olson
Filed under: Minnesota Sounds & Voices

Lutefisk and pickled herring have distinctive aromas, but many identify lutefisk as the most odiferous.

In the photo above by MPR's Jennifer Simonson at Olsen Fish Company on Wednesday, November 28th of this year president Chris Dorff holds a piece of dried lingcod from Norway that will be made into lutefisk, a traditional Nordic fish dish.

According to Olsen's website, much of its lutefisk comes from the beautiful Norwegian town of Alesund, north of Bergen on the coast of the Norwegian Sea.

The story of lutefisk, according to Olsen's, is a matter of perfect timing. For centuries, Norwegian fisherman have taken advantage of the cod spawning season from January to April. It comes just at the time of year when the climate is perfect for drying the fish.

The result - dried cod filets that are the beginnings of lutefisk.

One reason for lutefisk's distinctive smell is because the chemical used for preserving the fish is caustic soda. The net aromatic result reminds some people of spoiled rather than preserved fish.

This all comes to mind because of a recent visit to Olsen Fish Company in north Minneapolis. You can hear a Minnesota Sounds and Voices report this afternoon during All Things Considered which captures some of the sound but, sadly, none of the smell.

Workers at the 100-year-old north Minneapolis company are busy this time of year fulfilling holiday lutefisk and pickled herring orders.

Chris Dorff says lutefisk sales are flat while orders for the more popular pickled herring are rising.

Why? Well, lutefisk is an acquired taste, one that's popular among old timers who remember their Norwegian immigrant forebearers serving it for Christmas.

Getting used to lutefisk, again from personal experience, is not unlike trying to develop a taste for Korea's national dish, kimchi, the tangy fermented cabbage with an aroma that can also clear a room.

Moral of the story?

Every culture has peculiar foods prepared in unusual ways that may never be universally enjoyed except by the people who regard them as part of their heritage.

Crosby a jumping off point for Haitian health care

Posted at 1:00 PM on November 21, 2012 by Dan Olson
Filed under: Healthcare, Minnesota Sounds & Voices

Crosby, Minnesota, in the scenic Brainerd lakes area is a long way both geographically and economically from the dusty town of Pignon, Haiti.

However for two decades, Dr. Paul Severson, a Crosby-area resident has used his community as a base to organize medical missions to the Caribbean nation.

Right after Thanksgiving, Severson and his volunteer team head to Pignon to expand their medical mission. Here he is in a photo I snapped during a visit a couple weeks ago at the Cuyuna Regional Medical Center in Crosby.

You can hear more about the work of Severson and the charity he founded, Project Haiti, in my Minnesota Sounds and Voices report this afternoon as part of All Things Considered.

The earthquake two years ago put Haiti, the hemisphere's poorest nation, in the headlines and unleashed a stream of promised donations from outsiders totaling more than $1.5 billion.

Various news accounts report a good share, but by no means all of the promised help, has arrived.

Severson reports, based on his observations, that in spite of the country's deep corruption a fair amount of the money appears to have been put to good use.

However Minnesota-based Project Haiti's story goes far beyond one time generosity.

Severson and hundreds of other volunteers have helped to build a hospital in Pignon. They've also trained staff for the facility.

Their newest front includes the volunteer help of Sartell-based urologist Dr. Henri Lanctin.

Lanctin is training Haitian doctors to repair vesicovaginal fistulas. This condition afflicts women who have complicated or unsuccessful births, and the resulting incontinence often causes others to shun the women.

Another new Project Haiti effort will incorporate broadband for video links with U. S. medical professionals who can train the next generation of Haitian doctors and nurses.

Balsam takes its seasonal bough

Posted at 1:00 PM on November 9, 2012 by Dan Olson
Filed under: Minnesota Sounds & Voices, Outdoors

Too bad radio can't convey aromas because when you step into the Christmas wreath workshop of Jenny and Sam McFadden, well, it's an olfactory rush.

(Yes, as the former farm reporter for MPR years ago, I'm quite aware there are instances where it's a very good thing radio can't convey smells. But I digress.)

The McFadden's old barn is stacked nearly to the rafters with balsam fir boughs and this is when their wreath-making production is in its highest gear.

Here's my snapshot of Jenny and Sam in the barn of their Deer River farm in northern Minnesota.

You can hear my radio story about accompanying them on a balsam bough harvesting trek into the forest and then a tour of their wreath making enterprise Friday afternoon as part of All Things Considered on the network news stations of Minnesota Public Radio.

I captured images of the busy headquarters of Jen's Wreaths and there is also visual evidence of one of their employee's preferred methods of bandaging wreath-making wounds there as well. (Note: first aid tape doesn't always have to be white.)

Nearly everyone knows what the balsam fir looks like. Its pleasing cone shape and scent make it a favorite among Christmas tree consumers, and the boughs are favored by wreath makers because they stay fresh for a relatively long time.

Minnesota has lots of balsam fir which puts the state among the top suppliers of Christmas wreaths and other green holiday decorations. Jenny and Sam say they'll make as many as 8,000 wreaths in their 2 to 3 month long season.

Some of the state's bigger wreath making companies make and sell hundreds of thousands of wreaths, garlands and other products creating an important source of seasonal income for temporary workers.