My #GreenGiantVV

Wow! I still can’t believe everything I was able to experience on my GreenGiantVV or the Green Giant Valley Visit! It was so much fun and interesting. I have another post detailing stuff I learned about Green Giant. In this post, I wanted to go over what we actually did.

#GreenGiantVV Arrival

Tuesday
I arrived in Minnesota and was greeted with a great package from Green Giant and a fabulous room at the Marriott Southwest. My package contained my first blogger badge. 😀 I’m official now. Haha! It also contained a wonderful L.L. Bean tote bag with some awesome green boots, sunblock for Wednesday, a Green Giant folder which sings the Green Giant Ho Ho Ho tune when you open it and a Green Giant branded hat. My room had 2 queen sized beds in it! Plus, it had a nice television and an iPod docking system. Such a nice room!

Everyone went out for a dinner cruise on Lake Minnentonka that night. It actually stormed while we were out there. However, the conversation was lively, fun, and interesting. I somehow managed not to take any photos of this. *sigh* Afterwards, I hung out with some of the other bloggers at the Marriott, which was a real hoot.

GreenGiantVV Tours

Wednesday
This day was jam-packed with stuff! This is when I learned everything I want to tell you about Green Giant. It started with a nice breakfast and I got to meet Lil’ Sprout. 🙂 Then, we headed off to the Valley.

We visited the Green Giant Ag Research facility. I got to walk through the Seed Vault (which is colder than I thought it would be) and toured the Test Plant. I couldn’t take pictures in either of those locations. However, it was really fun. Then, we were driven to a nursery where I wore my awesome green boots and learned more about Green Giant’s sustainability projects.

Next, we went to a local farm for lunch. This lunch was simply magnificent. The apple pie was some of the best pie I’ve ever had. Plus, it was a beautiful day which made for a lovely experience. Then, we took a hay ride to the corn field where we got to pick, shuck, and eat sweet corn. OMG! The corn was so sweet!

Then, we returned to the Ag Research Facility to taste different types of Green Giant corn. Fyi: I love the canned niblets. Then, we were driven to the Le Suer Museum which has a room with just Green Giant stuff in it. It was really interesting to see all of the stuff. We also got to view a video on the history of Green Giant as well as some upcoming commercials.

We headed back to the Marriott to freshen up for dinner. General Mills was generous enough to send us bloggers to Bar la Grassa that night where the James Beard Foundation 2011 BEST CHEF – MIDWEST: ISAAC BECKER cooks. Bar la Grassa was named one of the top 10 best new restaurants by Bon Appetit in 2010 and I can see why. This meal was really the best one I’ve ever had. It was a five course meal! Some of my favorite dishes included the Soft Eggs and Lobster, Crab Ravioli, Halibut with Wild Mushrooms, and the dessert. I picked the Salted Caramel Crespelle for my fifth course and I’m so glad I did. You can see a picture of it in the slideshow above. It was to die for. I even did my butt dance for it while seated. 😉 Oh, and the conversations during the meal were very insightful – thanks to my new found friends at Robyn’s Online World, Serendipity Mommy, and Confessions of an Over-Worked Mom. What nice ladies!

GreenGiantVV Departure

Thursday
I traveled back home which was pretty uneventful (thankfully).

So, there you have it. I feel so lucky/blessed to have been chosen for this trip. Thank you General Mills and Green Giant.

Disclosure: General Mills sponsored my trip to the Green Giant Valley. The opinions expressed are my own.