The state fair in Minnesota is kind of a big deal. It's known as the "Great Minnesota Get Together" because everybody goes. People around here don't ask if you're going- they ask when you're going or if you've already been. School doesn't even start until after Labor day because that's when the fair ends. No joke. We actually only live a few blocks away from the state fair grounds, and I've been to the fair every summer since we moved here, but this was the first year that I felt the draw the fair has on all true Minnesotans. I usually feel sweaty just thinking about fairs, but the weather was perfect all morning in the low 70s. We didn't ride any rides or play any games- We just went to eat, see the animals, and check out the agriculture, and it was so perfectly us. Eats One of the reasons we had such a great day at the fair was because we decided to make it all about the food. We had gotten ourselves free tickets in exchange for dog sitting, so our whole fair budget was redirected to the best of the fair fare. We mainly used The State Fair Food Guide to guide our palates, but also had enough local know-how to get the right deep fried cheese curds and the right mini doughnuts (Tom Thumb, of course). And this year was the first year we decided to try the Minnesota Fair favorites, Sweet Martha's Cookies and All-You-Can-Drink Milk (including chocolate :) It might seem odd for fair food, but this is the Midwest and it was delicious. The State Fair Food Guide did lead us to chilled apple cider and Frozen Cider Pops in the Agriculture Building- SO refreshing and only $1.50! Definitely a new favorite. By the end of our day, we were getting pretty full (maybe it was all the milk), so we had to make a tough decision to forego various sausages and Italian Gizmos in order to have enough room for a Turkey Leg and Brisket sandwich at Texas Steak Out. But yum. We'd have had to go back for a second day (and double our budget) to try all the food we wanted to! Livestock & Agriculture Ever since we finished reading Welcome to the Farm, we've been seriously discussing at length what type of cows we'll have and how we need to actually taste rabbit before decide if we'll raise them. So naturally we spent quite a bit of time checking out the livestock. And so we fit right in at our state fair, wearing our plaid, eating our cheese curds, and discussing seeds appropriate for our hardiness zone and the right dairy cow for our future family needs. Our beautiful little garden is enough for now, but we're dreaming big for the future- Pigs, chickens, fruit trees, an apiary! And lots of little ones to help with the chores, of course, starting with this little one who will join us at the fair next year!
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