Description
One of North Dakota’s state mottos is “Strength from the Soil”, appropriate considering the amount of farm acres flung across this Midwestern state. For hungry travelers, agri-tourists or otherwise, this means a veritable bonanza of visitable farms, from national historic landmarks to modern grain mills, vineyards to buffalo ranches. Spend a little time exploring the state beyond its shimmering fields of grain and discover its multi-cultural cuisine, a blend of Native American, German and Scandinavian influences.
If it’s home-style cooking you have in mind, think hearty German dishes like knoephla soup with kuchen for dessert, or lutefisk and lefske, Norwegian specialities. Visit a farmers market during summer to add something fresh to the spread, like sweet melons or garden grown vegetables. Chokeberries, juneberries and rhubarb turn up regularly in pies, jams, and jellies, but for something slightly different head to Casselton, home to the Maple River Winery. Here they craft a long list of wines out of locally grown fruits, from chokecherries (this one is an award winner) and rhubarb to prairie strawberries and highbush cranberries.