Winter is coming, and with it comes days without vitamin D. What better way to boost your mood on a gloomy winter day than by buying and caring for a new plant?

For old and new plant lovers, now is the time to fill your space with warmth and life. A&E spoke with local houseplant experts to deliver tips and tricks that will keep your plants alive through the winter season and beyond.

Lighting: Plants grow best in south- and west-facing windows, but some plants, like monsteras, pothos and snake plants, do well in north- and east-facing windows, according to Isabella García-Pizaño. García-Pizaño, along with David Enrrigue Michel, runs the Instagram plant shop, Niños Verdes. Both are recent University of Minnesota graduates.

To supplement your natural light, buy a grow light, which will promote growth, foliage and flower blossoming in your plant, according to Julie Weisenhorn, a master gardener from the University of Minnesota’s Department of Horticultural Science. Weisenhorn keeps her grow lights on for about 14-16 hours a day.

For beginner plant lovers, try looking for low-light plants. These are best for dorm rooms or houses without big, south-facing windows. Weisenhorn recommended visiting the University’s Extension webpage where you can learn information about the differing light requirements needed for each of your plants.

Watering: As the season changes, so should your watering schedule. In the winter, plants can’t take the same amount of water that they usually take in the summer. Enrrigue Michel recommended watering your plants at most twice a month as it gets colder. “You can come back from underwatering. You cannot come back from overwatering,” Enrrigue Michel said.

Maintaining moisture: That dry winter air doesn’t just impact your chapped lips. Plants also suffer from the winter deficit of moisture and humidity. To combat this, Enrrigue Michel said that misting your plants in the morning and the night will provide them with much-needed moisture and humidity. García-Pizaño added that placing a cup or bowl of water next to your plants is also a great way to supplement this.

Positioning: For many of us who live in older buildings, our old, cold windows may not be the best for our plants. Keep your plants away from cold windowsills. If you can feel the cold from your window pane, so can your plants. Keeping them in a warm spot, near a radiator, or purchasing a heating mat, per Weisenhorn’s recommendation, prevents plants from freezing during the winter.

DIY Fertilizer: Put your coffee grounds and egg shells to good use by turning them into a fertilizer for your plants!

Coffee fertilizer: Using old coffee grounds, place them in a cup or bowl with water, and let the grounds steep in the water for a few hours. Remove the grounds from the water with a strainer, and pour the coffee water over your plants. According to Niños Verdes, this promotes rapid growth.

Egg shells: After making some eggs, take your egg shells and boil them in a pot with water to remove any bacteria from the shells. Crunch them up and sprinkle them around the soil of your plants. This provides your plant with calcium, according to Niños Verdes.

Plants for beginners: “People’s favorite is pothos,” said Enrrigue Michel. Other college student-friendly plants include monsteras and snake plants.

Have more questions? Both the Minnesota horticultural department and Niños Verdes can answer all your houseplant queries. Niños Verdes welcomes plant-related questions in its direct messages. Or students can use the yard and garden Extension to ask an expert any gardening or plantcare question under the sun (or the grow light).

Last week, Students for Justice in Palestine held Palestine Awareness Week (PAW), a week of events dedicated to the celebration of Palestinian culture through music, poetry, food, film and embroidery.

SJP’s mission at the University of Minnesota, according to their vice president *Numan Shehadeh, is to advocate for Palestine on campus and use the platform to further their own justice efforts. But the mission of PAW was not to focus directly on Palestinian oppression, persecution and how to seek justice. Rather, it was to celebrate and further learn about the intricacies of Palestinian culture through art.

The first day of PAW was dedicated to discussing the ways in which Palestinian poetry makes its way into modern-day music and culture. In the introduction to the Zoom event, Shehadeh sarcastically asked, “Why are we talking about poetry? Shouldn’t we be talking about the destruction of the Israeli state?”

Joseph Farag, a professor of modern Arab studies who was in attendance, responded to Shehadeh’s sarcastic inquiry.

“My response is, no, absolutely not just should we, but we must be talking about poetry and hip hop and art and cinema and novels. The examination of all of these things has suffered immensely because of the mindset that we have higher priorities right now that we need to be focusing on,” said Farag.

Farag pursued his doctorate in the U.K., and has seen how advocacy groups in both the U.K. and the U.S. differ in their ways of promoting Palestinian awareness.

“In my very limited experience of campus advocacy in the U.S., it’s more about informing the public about the ways in which Palestinians are victimized by Israel. But I’m worried that … in this constant emphasis on Palestinians as victims of the State of Israel, there is perhaps an unintentional dehumanization of the Palestinians if they’re constantly being portrayed passively as victims,” Farag said.

So, SJP’s intentions for PAW were to divert focus away from Palestinian oppression or victimization and towards Palestinian cultural appreciation.

The first event of the week honed in on poems and music, beginning with Mahmoud Darwish’s poem “To My Mother,” written by Darwish while in Israeli prison. The poem touches on Darwish’s yearning for his homeland and all of the comforts of his childhood before Israeli occupation. After examining the poem, SJP members listened to Lebanese singer Marcel Khalife’s song, “I Long for My Mother’s Bread,” and Palestinian hip-hop group DAM’s song, “Dedication” that also takes inspiration from Darwish’s words.

From film to food, attendees of the weeklong event watched Palestinian films like “Today They Took My Son” and “Nation Estate,” learned how to embroider a tatreez and trace their heritage through this style of embroidery, as well as make classic Palestinian dishes, like za’atar manaqish, a savory Palestinian pie.

“Food is really important to Palestinians because everything that we do is politicized, even our food,” said JP board member Nadia Aruri who led Thursday’s Palestinian cooking tutorial. Throughout the tutorial, Aruri answered questions on Palestine submitted by students, like, “How many congress people recognize Israeli aparteid?” and, “How can Americans support Palestinians?”

The events were simultaneously welcoming, encouraging attendees to share their thoughts after watching films and listening to music. While also poignant, the art provoked important conversations about how Israeli occupation and apartheid impacts Palestinians, and how Palestinians create art through that struggle.

“Palestinians creating art is commentary on the fact that we are here and resisting occupation, apartheid and genocide in unexpected and creative ways. And that’s important to think about,” Shehadeh said. “It’s not just kids throwing rocks or political organizations, but it’s also random people creating art that reminds them of their homeland, and I think that’s something that is really important.”

*Shehadeh requested their real name not be used due to safety concerns, as Palestinians are heavily surveilled before re-entering Palestine, including mentions in media reports.

This week’s Sharing Food recipe comes from the Oromo Student Union (OSU).

The Oromo people live in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. Estimates of the Oromo population in Minnesota vary widely. A 2016 survey by the Oromo Cultural Institute of Minnesota found about 40,000 Oromo Americans live in Minnesota, but the state demographer’s office estimated the number is about 8,500.

Cacabsa is a spiced bread dish that is eaten for breakfast in the Oromia region. It is made in a very large circular pan called an eelee and, before it is shredded into pieces and mixed with a spiced butter blend, resembles a tortilla. In Oromo, “cabsuu” means to rip apart or break, according to OSU member Meea Mosissa.

When OSU member Sonne Terfa thinks of this dish, she thinks of weekend mornings when her family had a little more time to prepare an extensive breakfast. OSU member Derartu Ansha chimed in.

“My mom doesn’t cook this often, so when she does, I know it’s made with love,” Ansha said.

When asked about the differences between Oromo culture and American culture, Ansha responded with a giggle, “It ain’t Minnesota.”

Ansha lived in the Oromia region for the first seven years of her life. “You know your neighbors got your back there. It’s kind of like a huge family in a way,” she said. Ansha described how everyone would gather outside and eat meals together. Terfa added that eating food at someone else’s house is a sign of respect.

“It’s just this warmth of like, ‘Oh come into my space, and I’ll give you my food, and we’ll eat it together,’” Terfa explained.

Cacabsa is chewy in texture and extremely flavorful. You can find the teff flour, or Xaafi, at local Ethiopian grocery stores such as Shabelle Ethiopian Grocery and Restaurant on Franklin Avenue.

Ingredients:

2 cups Xaafi (teff flour)
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup water
2 tablespoons of berbere (a blend of spices) *recipe for berbere below
1/4 cup dhadhaa (clarified butter)

Berbere (Recipe credit to Epicurious)
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek
1/2 cup ground dried New Mexico chiles
1/4 cup paprika
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Instructions:
In a large bowl, mix together the Xaafi, salt and water. The mixture should be the consistency of pancake batter, wet and doughy. Add more or less water depending on the consistency of your batter, then knead the dough with your hands for a few minutes. The dough will become more elastic through this process.
In a large skillet or round pan, pour the 1/2 cup dough into the pan, spreading it thinly. Cover it as it cooks. After a few minutes, the dough should take on some color on one side. Flip and repeat until all the batter is used.
In a separate pan, melt the dhadhaa with the berbere. Add a pinch of salt to your liking and stir to combine.
Once the bread is finished cooking, rip it up into shreds and mix it with the dhadhaa mixture. Mix until each shred is covered in the butter mixture. Serve.

This week’s Sharing Food recipe comes to us from the Hmong Minnesota Student Association (HMSA).

Qaib rau tshuaj (kai-tau-chua) is a chicken and herb dish that, in HMSA member Mayflower Vang’s own words, is “homey, nutritional and earthy.”

In Hmong culture, after a woman gives birth, she is supposed to go on a chicken diet where she eats only chicken for a whole month, Vang explained. The herbs in this dish are seen as beneficial to the woman’s body during this time.

“These herbs are meant to nurse the woman’s health back to normal,” Vang said.

Like many picky children growing up, Vang remembered not liking the dish when she was younger. But as she got older and became more accustomed to the strong scent and taste of the medicinal herbs, she came to love it.

Hmong culture is an integral part of Minnesota, with more than 66,000 Hmong people residing in the state today. In fact, the Twin Cities is home to the largest concentration of Hmong people in America, according to the Minnesota Historical Society.

Qaib rau tshuaj is simultaneously earthy and umami while also refreshing. This hot chicken and broth will warm up even the coldest of October days.

Ingredients:

• 13 cups water
• 1 whole chicken, chopped into pieces or pre-cut
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon MSG or 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon

A few medicinal herbs to throw into the broth:

• Pawj qaib (grassy-leaved sweet flag)
• Tauj dub (lemon grass)
• Zej ntshua ntuag (type of Joe-pye weed)
• Nroj rog liab (Okinawa spinach)
• Nkaj liab (Iresine)
• Ntiv (type of Joe-pye weed)
• Black pepper

Instructions:

Put 13 cups of water into a large pot and boil. If you have a whole chicken, chop the chicken into pieces by cutting the legs off diagonally, then splitting the carcass in half, slicing the breasts off afterward. Chop the wings off. Put chicken into the pot.
Add salt and MSG or chicken bouillon.
Once the chicken boils, impurities from the meat will float to the top of the pot. Skim those off with a spoon and discard. Continue boiling the chicken for another 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, drop in the pawj qaib, tauj dub, zej ntshua ntuag, nroj rog liab, nkaj liab, and ntiv. Cook these herbs for around eight minutes or until aromatic.
Sprinkle black pepper on top of the dish to serve. Eat the chicken with the broth like a soup or drizzle the broth on top of rice.

Within a few weeks, this cool and pleasant October air will turn to sharp, icy winds and snow. But to mentally prepare for the frigid season ahead, we can savor this new drink that will keep us warm, thanks to the Pakistani Student Association (PSA).

Kashmiri Chai, also known as noon chai, is a rosy pink, aromatic drink. What makes the tea pink? During the cooking process, the tea develops a maroon hue through oxidation and aeration. Amna Dogar, external vice president of PSA, remembers being back in her grandparents house in Pakistan, sipping this tea. According to Eesha Irfanullah, president of PSA, this is a regular drink in Pakistan; while in the U.S., it is considered a delicacy that is drunk when loved ones visit.

Irfanullah explained how in Pakistan’s colder months, the stove that the chai simmers on acts as a source of heat, perfuming the home with robust aromatics and keeping everyone warm throughout the day.

When asked the biggest difference between American culture and Pakistani culture, Irfanullah explained how in Pakistan, no one ever eats a meal alone.

“Eating is a very communal activity … There is no concept of you eating lunch or dinner by yourself,” said Irfanullah.

While we are all separated by Zoom, restricted by 6 feet of social distance and expected to cook and eat our meals alone, maybe by making this shared recipe we can feel a sense of togetherness, even at a time of distance.

Recipe by Noreen Sheikh, Irfanullah’s mom.

Serves around 20 cups of tea

Preparation time: one and a half to two hours

Ingredients:

1 gallon water
2 heaped tablespoons gunpowder tea or green tea leaves
½ gallon ice water
½ gallon whole milk or a non-dairy milk of your choice
1 cup heavy whipping cream
6 cardamom pods
1½ stars of anise
Crushed, peeled, unsalted pistachios for garnish
Sugar to taste

Instructions:

In a large pot, bring a gallon of water and the tea leaves to a boil. Let this mixture boil on high until it reduces by half, around 30 to 45 minutes.
Once it has reduced, add ice water. The color should turn maroon. Boil this on medium high until it reduces by half, another 30 to 45 minutes.
Once it has reduced, add your milk of choice, cardamom pods and stars of anise. Let this simmer on low for around 25 to 30 minutes.
Serve with pistachios and add sugar to your liking.

Bookworms from all over the country come to the Twin Cities Book Festival each year, seeking inspiration from authors, poets, graphic novelists and everyone in between. And even though the format of the event has gone from in-person to virtual, the TCBF continues to uphold that mission.

From Oct. 15-17, the Twin Cities Book Festival, presented by Rain Taxi, a local literary organization, will go virtual for the twentieth anniversary of the great Minnesotan book-lovers get-together.

The festival has historically championed accessibility, providing free transit and parking passes, and not charging entrance fees. This year is no different, and the online format only expands upon accessibility efforts, as literary enthusiasts from all over the world can tune into this three-day festival, according to Linda Stack-Nelson, Rain Taxi’s exhibit coordinator and editorial assistant.

Annually, the festival brings together approximately 6,000 attendees. This year, due to the lack of geographical limitations, Director of Rain Taxi Eric Lorberer said he thinks attendance may increase.

“The lack of limitations on geography helps not just to bring in more attendees, but also more authors who normally wouldn’t be able to all make it,” said Stack-Nelson.

There are more than three dozen writers on the lineup for this year’s festival. Some of this year’s notable writers include Kate DiCamillo, the author of “Tales of Despereaux” and “Because of Winn-Dixie,” Frank B. Wilderson III, who recently published “Afropessimism,” Yona Harvey, an American poet and writer of Marvel’s “World of Wakanda,” and Ayad Akhtar, a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright.

In lieu of the exhibition hall that hosts the book fair — “the beating heart of the festival,” as Lorberer described it, usually filled with tables, stacked with new books and packed with people — each exhibitor, from nonprofits to press houses to independent authors, will have their own exhibit page on the TCBF website.

“We can’t walk down an aisle and browse, but what we can do in the digital world is still advocate for these, you know, really amazing publishers and organizations and people who are just putting their all into the book world,” said Lorberer.

This summer, after the police killing of George Floyd, Rain Taxi invited local Black poets to submit an original poem for their upcoming chapbook that will be released at the festival. Titled “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop,” the poems provide a range of perspectives from different generations and genders, said Mary Moore Easter, the editor for the collection and a Rain Taxi board member, in an email to the Minnesota Daily.

“As I say in the introduction, ‘These [B]lack poets sing their grief, resistance and heart-bruised love in this time of turmoil,’” said Easter. “I think readers will join in these feelings.”

Easter remembers visiting the Twin Cities Book Festival six years ago. As she walked around the tables that teemed with books and the patrons perusing them, she knew that one day she wanted to have a book of her own, published and distributed at this very festival. Four years later, that wish came true.

Easter’s story of literary success is one of many at the TCBF. Stack-Nelson remembers discussing books until midnight one night at the festival with Lana Wood Johnson, who was a featured presenter of that year. The next day, Stack-Nelson looked at the program to find a picture of Wood Johnson, sitting in the audience one year earlier.

“That was such a cool, full circle moment,” said Stack-Nelson. “To see somebody who’s been an attendee at the festival come and present their work, and the way that the community is cyclical in that way and can converse with itself over time, I just thought that was really fun to see.”

Correction: A previous version of the article misstated the name of Rain Taxi’s poetry collection.

Sharing meals with friends across a candle-lit table, or more realistically, a coffee table you snagged off the curb of University Avenue, feels like a thing of the past. But, there are other ways we can swap our favorite recipes and stories even while we are separated.

This week, we look to the Vietnamese Student Association of Minnesota (VSAM) for some meal inspiration. The recipe they’re sharing is Bánh Xèo with Nước Mắm/Chấm, a crispy and savory crepe with a sweet and sour dipping sauce.

Pronounced “bun sayo” and “nook mum/chum,” this Vietnamese dish is “crispy, fulfilling and comforting,” said second-year VSAM representative Emily Nguyen. She remembers eating this when she visited Vietnam, recalling how Bánh Xèo was a refreshing dish to eat on rainy days.

Why is Bánh Xèo so delicious? Nguyen said the crepe, as well as Vietnamese cuisine in general, has the five elements of flavor — sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami — included within every dish. She lauded the dish for its versatility and customizability (you can make this dish vegetarian or vegan since the crepe batter is dairy-free, and the options you can include in the crepe are endless). Traditionally, this dish is paired with fresh herbs like Thai basil, mint and lettuce and is sometimes wrapped in rice paper.

From the crispiness of the crepe to the bright and fresh flavors you can include inside and the tangy and sweet dipping sauce, try Bánh Xèo and Nước Mắm/Chấm for a new and exciting dish this week.

Bánh Xèo (3-4 servings)
1 tablespoon vegetable or neutral oil
1 3/4 cup rice flour
2 teaspoons turmeric powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups water
1 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup spring onion, chopped
2 cups shrimp
1 1/2 cups pork belly
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional additions and swaps: Replace the shrimp or pork with tofu for a vegetarian twist. Add lettuce, Thai basil, mint, vegetables, bean sprouts or any other fresh herb/vegetable of your choice.

Heat skillet on medium high and lightly grease with vegetable oil. Let this heat up as you prepare your batter.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix together rice flour, turmeric and salt. Add in the water and coconut milk, stirring well until the batter is coherent. Stir in the chopped spring onions.
Clean and cut the shrimp and pork belly (or tofu), lightly seasoning with salt and pepper on each side. Add to the skillet and cook, removing from the skillet once the meat is almost cooked through.
Ladle the crepe batter into the hot skillet, swirling the pan to spread the batter evenly. Cover and cook for approximately one minute.
Once the crepe has developed a crispy exterior, add in the fixings of your choice like shrimp, pork, tofu, bean sprouts, fresh herbs and vegetables. Fold the crepe in half, cooking for another minute with the lid on and then remove from the skillet.
Serve with lettuce, herbs and dipping sauce (Nước Mắm/Chấm).

Nước Mắm/Chấm (Bánh Xèo dipping sauce)
1 large garlic clove (2 small/medium sized cloves)
2-3 chili peppers, chopped (depending on spice preference)
2 tablespoons fish sauce (substitute soy sauce to make this vegetarian-friendly)
2 tablespoons sugar
10 tablespoons water
The juice of one lime/lemon

Mince garlic and dice chili peppers, keeping or removing seeds, depending on desired spice level.
In a small bowl, combine sugar, fish sauce and water, mixing until the sugar has dissolved. Then squeeze in the citrus juice. Lastly, add garlic and pepper, stirring well.

Need some pop culture inspiration for your week? Keep your finger on the pulse of all things A&E with this week’s heat.

Something to read:

“The Vanishing Half,” a novel by Brit Bennet, follows twin sisters who, after a childhood filled with racism and trauma in their small Louisiana town that is “more of an idea than a place,” decide to lead two separate lives in two separate parts of the country. One confronts their reality, the other hides from it. This story is engaging, thought-provoking and a perfect novel to distract yourself with. Bennet accomplishes the terrific feat of poignant yet exciting writing. “The Vanishing Half” is a book that, even during midterms, you won’t want to put down. Plus, the University of Minnesota campus makes a cameo halfway through the book, and it’s always fun to see the words “Moos Tower” in a best-selling work of literature.

Something to watch:

Join the Minneapolis Institute of Art’s virtual discussion with Rachel Breen, a University master of fine arts alum and the recipient of four Minnesota State Arts Board grants, the Walker Art Center’s Open Field fellowship and the 2019-20 Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship. Breen, in the discussion about her exhibit “The Labor We Wear” that runs from now until Nov. 1, will discuss the flaws of fast fashion, touching on the factory fires in Bangladesh and the problems caused by textile waste. Reserve tickets to this discussion here.

Something to tap your foot to:

“Do It [Remix]” by Chloe x Halle ft. Doja Cat, City Girls and Mulatto: From “Savage” by Megan Thee Stallion with Beyoncé to “Say So” by Doja Cat with Nicki Minaj, female rappers took over the charts this summer. And what better way to conclude the summer months than with yet another catchy tune from a stunning group of female rappers.

“Hit Different” by SZA: Listen to SZA’s new single with Ty Dolla $ign, featuring The Neptunes. With a highly anticipated album supposedly coming out before the year ends, this single could be a preview of what her next album may sound like.

“The Curse” by Yellow Days ft. Mac DeMarco: Listen to this new alt track by an old and a new name in indie music. This single feels more bluesy than other Yellow Days tracks, but it’s an eclectic tune that pairs perfectly with sunset walks or a bedroom listening sesh.

“Kamikaze” by Omar Apollo: Listen to this smooth song by the man who gave you “Ugotme” and “Hit Me Up.” Like everything else Apollo releases, this song is signature cool — dare I say Apollo’s voice in this song is reminiscent of Frank Ocean’s — with a lo-fi beat, a groovy melody and, of course, Apollo’s silky voice.

Something to try:

The Travis Scott Meal: If you haven’t seen the McDonald’s commercial of animated Travis Scott holding up his cup of Sprite while an auto-tuned “it’s lit!” echoes in the background, I don’t know whether to congratulate you or apologize to you. Either way, if you’re looking for a cheap dinner this week, perhaps activate your inner sicko mode and make your way over to Drunk-Dons for a Cactus Jack-inspired meal.