Growing edible perennials in the north is so valuable! Even though I am starting all kinds of food crop seeds inside while there’s still snow outside, the first crops I harvest always end up being our early spring perennials. Plus spring perennials play well with other early spring annuals like salads and radishes.
It can feel like a superpower to be eating from your land as early as May, especially when all you did was rake back a few leaves…
Why Grow Edible Perennials in Cold Climates?
We have an extremely short growing season in Minnesota, under 150 days! So we need plants that can take the freezing cold and then warm up fast, and early spring perennials make it happen.
A recipe with two ingredients a little time in the dehydrator with a big pay off: rhubarb sour candy from the garden!
These taste like if Sour Patch® had a kid with simple ingredients + kept the fiber. I like the big flavor coupled with the little chew. I get to help out at our local elementary school, and the kids go crazy for them every year!
It is a great, simple way to use up some of the rhubarb and not make yet another crisp… but if you’re looking for tips on growing rhubarb or other recipes, I have you covered.
Rhubarb Sour Candy Recipe
Ingredients:
4-5 stalks of Rhubarb
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Directions: Slice the rhubarb lengthwise on a mandolin (I use my thin setting) leaving them as long as you can. This is the putzy part, and I usually save the extras pieces that don’t make nice long strips for making rhubarb sauce or something.
Mix a 1:1 sugar/water solution into a medium sized sauce pan so the rhubarb slices fits easily.
Simmer for 3-5 minutes or until you notice the stalk strips becoming much softer. Then, using a pair of tongs, gently pull out the strips and lay flat on either a dehydrator tray or parchment paper.
Set dehydrator to 140F and let them go for 7-8 hours, or set your oven at the lowest setting (usually 225F) and watch closely after 15 minutes. Remove from dehydrator or oven and let cool completely.
Chop into desired sizes, and store in airtight container for up to 1 week. (But they will be gone before that!)
Let me know if you try this fun “nature’s own” rhubarb sour candy recipe and what you think of it!
Let’s shrink your lawn with sustainable turf alternatives!
This guest post is brought to us by the legend, Bob Dahm. Many of my Midwest garden friends will know him as “Organic Bob,” which is how I knew him when we first met about 5 years ago.
He has guided our family on our own home lawn re-seeding (with tougher native grasses) and bee lawn areas with great success. This is because he sees our yards and gardens as integral parts of the natural world, not separate from them.
Are you itching to get planting but the soil isn’t warming fast enough?
Growing under the cover of a low tunnel is the answer to jump start your spring vegetable garden. Most of the veggies shown here were started under a DIY low tunnel.
These temporary structures are basically ‘low to the ground’ greenhouses, hence the ‘low’ tunnel. The simple, arched structures are efficient at trapping passive solar heat and holding it in the soil. In Minnesota we often get snow into April, so the reinforced arches are key to keeping plants happy during spring storms.
Inexpensive and easy to build, low tunnels can be popped up anywhere, so they’re perfect for small space gardens. They also work well with crop rotation, as you can move where you’re growing your earliest crops each season.
Starting seeds is something Nature does effortlessly… at least it looks like it from our garden bench doesn’t it?
Successful seed starting for us gardeners is about combining the right timing, light, seeds, and seed starting mixes all together. And when starting seed indoors, we control every element, including the seed starting mix.
For modern homestead gardeners, a high-quality seed starting mix creates the foundation for strong roots, healthy growth, and resilient seedlings when starting seeds indoors.
While it can be tempting to scoop soil straight from the garden or grab any bag labeled “potting mix,” but seed starting mixes are a category all their own. They’re designed to support early plant growth using sustainable gardening practices that protect seedlings during their most vulnerable stage.
Come learn, commune, or just love on local with me early in the year!
I have many other private gardening and homesteading classes scheduled for Local Garden Clubs and Master Gardeners as well. If you are interested in having me speak, I am taking reservations for next winter and spring now. Please email me at michellenbruhn@gmail.com if you’re interested.
You can also see a full list of my class topics HERE.
I love how my book collection keeps growing, just like my plant collection!
OK, so I have a thing for books…
Gardening “How To” books, Ecological Gardening books, Permaculture, No Dig, Companion Planting, Preserving, Homesteading… I’ve read a lot of books. And, not all of them earn a place on my bookshelf.
Nothing quite compares to flipping open to a page to find that bit of info, recipe or inspiration. Below are some of my most loved Garden and Local Food books.
Each of the books listed below would make great gifts, and a welcome addition to any gardener, homesteader, or foodie’s library!
Gardening, at its heart, is good for you AND the planet! But years of green washing and less than organic practices have made it a little confusing. But there are some basic tips I’ve learned to help you get gardening for sustainability.
Intensive companion planting and staggered succession planting creates a thriving vegetable garden and happy harvests!
Sustainable gardening is all about creating a living system that supports itself, nurtures the environment, and… actually gets easier for you over time. It’s the sweet spot where ecology meets practicality.
When you plan to manage each precious resource—from water, soil, sun, and plant matter—you’ll see the soil grow richer each year and the workload become more manageable. The garden will start to function like the ecosystem it is rather than feel like a chore.
For Minnesota gardeners and especially organic, permaculture-minded homesteaders, this mindset fits beautifully with our distinct seasons, rich glacial soils, and wildly resilient native species.
This is such a warming soup. I’ve made a few variations in the past but have settled on this as a family favorite. I recently made this for a recovering friend, and I think it’s a perfect hug in a jar.
I also recently harvested all of these main ingredients from our suburban homestead here in Minnesota. Yes, even the ginger. So this soup sums up my most recent fall harvests in one bowl.
And as with all soups, this recipe is a jumping off point. A half cup more or less of any of the main ingredients is not going to ruin this soup. It is lighter and brighter than the more common butternut squash soup, but it certainly looks like that other orange fall soup. I am always looking for ways to sneak in more protein, so of course I add white beans to this soup. Adding beans to any blended soup gives it a creamy, thicker consistency along with all the other health benefits.
How to Prep Your Fall Garden the Easy, Earth-Friendly Way
Fall is in the air. Cooler days brings the unmistakable shift in our gardens as the growing season winds down. It’s tempting to grab your rake, pull every plant out by the roots, and “tidy up” before winter hits.
But if you’re aiming for a healthier garden and less work next season, it’s time to embrace no dig garden clean-up. No dig gardening is more than just a trend—it’s a smarter, soil-loving way to garden. And when it comes to fall cleanup, the no dig method gives your garden a natural boost while cutting your workload. Win-win.
