Connor Cummiskey

Mankato

Community Editor at Mankato Free Press

Opinions are my own.

Featured in: Favicon

hometownsource.com Favicon

nujournal.com Favicon

messagemedia.co Favicon

camdennews.org Favicon

mankatofreepress.com

Articles

Entertainment Calendar

Mar 15, 2024 | mankatofreepress.com | Connor Cummiskey

Irish American Club of Southern Minnesota’s St. Paddy’s celebration — 10 a.m. Irish music followed by Mass, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Waseca; noon Parade of Clans, downtown Waseca; 12:30 p.m., The Mill. Blessings & Blooms introduction to TimeSlips storytelling sessions — 10 a.m. to noon, Carnegie Art Center, 120 S. Broad St.; storytelling stations sponsored by Mankato and North Mankato ACT on Alzheimer’s.
Exhibits

Mar 15, 2024 | mankatofreepress.com | Connor Cummiskey

Schaefer Art Gallery — “The Artistry and Mestizx Narratives of Vick Quezada” through April 7 at Gustavus Adolphus College. Reception 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, with 5:30 p.m. lecture by artist. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and 1-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The 410 Project — Paintings by Amber Rahe through March 23 at 523 South Front St. Hours: 2-6 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. The Smallest Cog Bike Shop gallery — Figurative art by Emily Kretschmer through Sunday at 115 S. Minnesota Ave., St. Peter.
An early start in the garden

Mar 13, 2024 | mankatofreepress.com | Connor Cummiskey

Finally. I am nearly caught up doing all the garden clean-up that didn’t get done last fall. I know some of you are worried I may have disturbed beneficial insects that are still wintering over in plant debris. I have also disturbed the non-beneficial as well! It’s all about your own timing in the garden. With a solid 50-80 hour of cutting back and hauling off plant debris in my scattered landscape — I can’t wait to start my work.
Foods that help ease headaches

Feb 27, 2024 | mankatofreepress.com | Connor Cummiskey

Q. I suffer from frequent headaches and occasional migraines. Are there foods that I can include in my diet that might help? A. Common tension headaches occur when muscles in the scalp and neck contract or become tense, causing a consistent pain. Migraine, a more debilitating headache involving blood vessels in the head, causes severe throbbing or pulsing pain that can last for hours or days.
Do you have asparagus to spare?

Feb 6, 2024 | mankatofreepress.com | Connor Cummiskey

I am happy to report mountains of plant debris was removed from my garden last week during this incredible weather. It’s not near as depressing looking at the garden now! I am not actually removing everything yet, as winter is likely not over yet, just cutting back the tall perennials, leaving any winter mulch stuff. What is one of the first perennials to return each spring? Asparagus! Certainly, one of the first joys of the garden.
There is a variety of ways to cook food

Jan 31, 2024 | mankatofreepress.com | Connor Cummiskey

Q. My New Year’s resolution is to cook more at home. I’m relatively new to cooking and get confused with all the different methods. What is the difference between boiling, simmering, sautéing, roasting, etc.? A. We all know that cooking happens when you heat food, transforming raw ingredients into the delicious foods that we enjoy.
How to fix a leaning tree

Jan 31, 2024 | mankatofreepress.com | Connor Cummiskey

On a walk this week enjoying our pleasant weather, I discovered this “compass” tree shown in the picture. Since it was pointing north, thought I would give it a nickname. What, when and how … and now what? Several things could have gone wrong here. The biggest is that no one has corrected it yet! When trees are installed, they should be correctly staked at the time of planting. A single skinny stake or bamboo rod is not close to being adequate.
Kombucha is good for your gut

Jan 30, 2024 | mankatofreepress.com | Connor Cummiskey

Q. Will you talk about Kombucha? How is it made and why is it supposed to be good for me? A. Kombucha is a fermented drink made from tea, sugar, yeast, and bacteria. It is a tangy and fizzy beverage with a vinegar-like zing. In the fermentation process, all the ingredients are combined and the mixture rests for a period typically ranging between a week and a month.
The difference between hybrid and heirloom

Jan 24, 2024 | mankatofreepress.com | Connor Cummiskey

Coming up … spring weather! Just don’t get in a hurry to start your transplants — you need to wait until March or later. However, we can talk about what type of seeds to get. Ordering seeds or choosing plants might be confusing when it comes to sorting out hybrids, heirlooms, disease resistance etc. Which ones are the best? Maybe you have just heard of the heirloom tomato Brandywine. Personally, I am not a big fan of this tomato, but the name certainly sounds delicious.
Pick a peck of perfect peppers

Jan 17, 2024 | mankatofreepress.com | Connor Cummiskey

Planning and more planning. Not much else we can do about the vegetable garden yet, beside plan and dream about it. I am dreaming of armloads of fresh basil heading to the kitchen to be tossed about on linguine with freshly chopped tomatoes! Planning can be difficult, especially for newer gardeners. Increase your success rate by starting with only a few things. A home garden is generally not that large — yet we try to squeeze in some of everything.