Imagine an entire weekend dedicated to food, wine and the beauty of fall color at the Arboretum!  It’s not too late to sign up for the Minnesota Homegrown Cooking Retreat this weekend, Sept. 26-28. Guided by resident chef Jenny Breen, you’ll enjoy cooking lessons from such prestigious chefs as Lucia Watson (Lucia’s) and Ann Christoforides (Gardens of Salonica), who will prepare delectable fare such as beer-batter walleye fingers with maple mustard dipping sauce; triple-fruit scones, wild-rice sausage, heirloom tomatoes and mozzarella, smoked trout quiche, plus the Greek specialties fasolaki arni (lamb and green beans) and tourlou (Greek ratatouille).  The weekend kicks off with Friday night “happy hour” featuring Minnesota beer and wine and local cheeses from Shepherd’s Way Farm.  Greg Reynolds of Riverbend Farm also will be there to share his insights into the local food movement.  Click here for more info.  Fee for the three-day retreat weekend is $195 for Arboretum members; $215 for non-members. (Sponsored by Kowalski's-Eden Prairie.)  To register, call 952-443-1422 or email: ArbEdu@umn.edu.

Come Oct. 4, the Oswald Visitor Center will be transformed into “Pumpkin Palooza” with an eye-popping display of cucurbits (pumpkins and squash) in all their diverse colors and shapes. It was a hit last year and this year’s version promises to be a rousing encore.  We also are offering apple-tastings every weekend in October – 1 to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays – in the Oswald Visitor Center.  Each weekend will feature a different variety of apple, supplied by the university’s Horticultural Research Center. If you like what you try, you can purchase it at the AppleHouse, located one mile west of the Arboretum on State Highway 5.