Today I’ve got a guest author digging deep into the field of eco-friendly eating. Help me welcome Laura to the Forks family! I met Laura online via the squares of Instagram and her feed @reducereuserenew and we share so many of the same values. You know I am a local food lover, and never miss a chance to talk about my three keys to eating local all year long: Grow Your Own, Know Your Farmers, Preserve Local Food.
But this doesn’t mean eating all plants all the time for me- but making smart choices. So, when I asked her to share her take on “Eco Friendly Eating” she went for it.
This one is worth the read- plus I link back to some of my earlier posts that touch on other aspects of the topics she covers. This article is like a little overview of steps we can take and choices to make that will create a difference for us and future generations- I dare you to choose just one of these changes and stick with it!
So, take it away Laura…
Starting Space
You’ve likely heard of the climate crisis. Scientists have been warning us of what could happen if we don’t make major changes for decades. Unfortunately, the effects of the climate crisis reach many different areas of our lives. The food we eat is no exception.
But how exactly does the food we eat impact climate change? And what can we do?
Let’s take a look at the answers to both of those questions.
Adding a cover crop to the home vegetable garden was a game changer for me, and the garden has been happier ever since. Planting cover crop seed is an easy and effective way to practice good soil health on any scale. There are a few tips and tricks for having the best luck for home gardeners. Timing and seed selection are key!
There are many different ways of cover cropping, from holding a field for a full year, or part of spring or over the winter. Because I succession plant so much of my garden space from early spring to past the frosts of fall, I don’t leave much of my soil bare at any one time. But one of the reasons I have incorporated cover crops is how easy it is to just sow the seeds once I’ve harvested a late summer crop.
There are also a few different reasons people plant cover crops to benefit the garden. One is to build up organic matter in the soil. Another is using legumes to add nitrogen to the soil (or directly to the plants if grown simultaneously). A final reason is to help break up compacted heavy soil with plants that have think roots. If left to rot they create wonderful space in the soil for nutrient and water transfer. Basically, cover cropping is another way of Companion Planting for your garden.
Soil Health Starts with Cover
Image from Kiss the Ground
It always helps me to know the WHY behind whatever I’m doing- so… before I started planting cover crops a few years ago I took a deep dive into soil health. Asking, “Why are we planting seeds in the fall when they won’t have time to mature?” The basic answer is soil health.
As any gardener knows, Mother Nature and her weather are really the ones in charge of how our gardens grow. We are forever wondering, will we get that April snowstorm…?
Thinking about the weather and how it affects everything from crop timing, to which insects buzz through it, to how much water we need to supplement is something I respect more each year!
Globally, our weather is also changing at an alarming rate. Both temperatures and the number of erratic weather events are on the rise. These are but the tip of the melting iceberg of how weather touches every aspect of the garden process.
I hope that as more people dig in to gardening as a hobby and passion, we’ll reach our tipping point. We’ll both love all kinds of weather AND care for our earth in ways that will leave it in good shape for future generations!
Growing Gardeners
I believe that the way to ensure our future generations take good care of the earth is to simply get them out into nature so they can fall in love with it! Let’s get kids exploring, asking questions and simply being outside in a snowstorm or on a hot steamy day and everything in between…
Sarah Nelson, my dear friend and children’s book author, has recently released a group of books, I Like the Weather. This set of picture books introduces children to the joys of different weather with upbeat rhymes and intriguing back matter. Below, Sarah shares her thoughts on how our relationship with weather can change us, and our relationship with our gardens for the better. Enjoy!
You hold this seemingly inanimate object in your hand. Once you place it in soil, give it some water and light it GROWS! And it keeps growing, giving pollinators a purpose and habitat, sequestering carbon, building soil, and giving you food—plus providing its own seeds to continue the process.
Being part of this process ties us back into nature in a way that very few things can. And more of us are feeling that pull back to nature as gardening continues to grow as a hobby and passion across the globe.
*This post contains affiliate links*
Why Start Seeds?
Slow Bolt Napa Cabbage
On a more practical level, an obvious benefit of growing a garden from seed is major cost savings. A packet of seeds is usually less than the cost of a single small potted vegetable or herb start. Add perpetual savings if you can save the seeds that grow from the plants as well. More about this in my article, Seed Saving Starts Now.
Remember only open pollinated varieties are recommended for seed saving, as these are the only kinds that will grow back ‘true to type’. Many seeds sold are hybrids, meaning that they took certain traits from two different plants and combined them. Growing seeds saved from those hybrids will likely revert back to parts of their parent plants, sometimes with really funky outcomes!
I’m always looking for ways to stretch my growing season up here in Minnesota, and winter sowing lets me get a jump on starting seedlings—without extra lights! The trick is in choosing the right seeds to start and when!
Late in January, you can find me thawing out some soil to plant seeds. Not seeds to grow under lights just yet, though; I send these earliest planted seeds out into the elements. This is the art of winter sowing! And of course I wanted to share what I’ve learned over the last few years.
Before we get crafting the weird little mini greenhouses that make winter sowing feel sort of like a pre-school art project, let’s go over the basics.
What is Winter Sowing?
Winter sowing is a way to work with Mother Nature to grow plants from seed. You plant seeds in a container and set them outside. They sprout in the containers and are ready to plant out into your garden from there. Trudi Greissle Davidoff was the first to write about the process of winter sowing.
Winter Sowing Jugs planted and outside in February
This is my husband’s favorite hearty winter soup; a hearty blend of locally grown goodness that somehow becomes much more than the sum of its parts. Specifically this is a potage; which sounds really fancy but simply means a really thick soup.
I could go on and on about how much I love soups, and I’ve already compiled a few of my other favorite soups in a blog a while back, “Simmering Through Winter: Soup Suite”. It takes you through making “Very Veggie Zuppa Toscana, my take on a Basic Veggie Soup and a Ham + Lentil (way better than your split pea soup!!) plus some tips and tricks to making amazing soups- like getting the herbs and spices you add to “bloom”, stock vs broth, etc.
But back to this amazing simple yet sublime soup.
Sausage, Kale + Potato Potage
1 lb pork sausage (local makes a huge difference here!)
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp Oregano dried
1-2 tsp Thyme dried
2 tsp Celery leaf dried
2 cups shredded zucchini (I use frozen)
4 small or one huge russet style potato
4-6 Cups torn Kale (I use frozen too)
6 cups chicken stock
Fresh parsley for serving (or any microgreens you happen to have)
Instructions: Sautée Italian pork sausage until fully cooked, can spoon off some of the fat if desired (I find that locally raised pork products don’t have nearly as much fat as commercially raised kinds). Then add onions and sautée a few minutes, then garlic, then herbs.
Let the herbs ‘bloom’; this is when you let the dried herbs cook in fat before adding liquid to the pot – this is soup MAGIC!
Once you enjoy the aromas of all the herbs, add in the ‘wet’ ingredients; kale, zucchini, then potatoes and stock. This simmers only as long as the potatoes need to cook.
Serve with warm crusty bread, adding fresh greens, cheese or roasted squash/pumpkin seeds to the bowl just before serving. Or, you know, eat it right out of the pot…
Microgreens are so much more than the trendy ‘vegetable confetti’ you see on foodie Instagram accounts!
Beyond being photogenic, microgreens are the poster child for the phrase “Good things come in small packages”.
They Pack 10-40 times as much nutrition as their full-grown counterparts
They are ready to harvest in 2-3 weeks
They don’t require any extra equipment to grow
In case you’re wondering what I’m talking about… Microgreens include a wide variety of edible immature plants. Varieties of greens, herbs, flowers and vegetables lend themselves to being eaten while small. You do not eat the roots like with sprouts. You harvest by cutting above the soil level and eating the stem and leaves.
It is no secret that I LOVE my microgreens… and I want to share with you how easy it can be to grow your own nutritious and delicious micros! I also love my local farmers, so I’ve invited Amanda Yadav, Microgreen Farmer at Fiddlehead Farm to join us and give pointers along the way… So let’s go over the basics of getting started!
As more people are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint, they’re finding decreasing food miles can make an immediate impact. There’s a simple way to focus on eating local- cooking up a 100 mile meal!
Whatever lens you look at local food through- food miles, local economy, food waste, ecology, soil health, humane animal care, climate crisis, community building, nutritional content or simply TASTE- local food wins. Hands Down. Hands in the ground.
Let’s savor the ideas of “Growing Your Own + Knowing Your Farmer” as a two tined approach to digging in and eating more local.
Forks in the Dirt
Cows at Miron Dairy in Hugo MN, 13 miles from my home.
By the Numbers
Figuring out food miles can be a little shocking at first. It is estimated the average item you pick up from any grocery store has traveled around 1,500 miles before you find it on a shelf. Think of different common foods you buy if you pick up around the Twin Cities Metro Area:
Raspberries from Mexico- 2,000 miles
Garlic from China- 5,000 miles (90% of garlic comes from China)
I’ve loved seeing the backyard chicken community grow over the years- and especially this past year! So many new chicken owners; I lovingly refer to us as “chicken tenders”. So it seemed like a good time to gather my thoughts for an overview on getting your hens ready for winter. This article focuses on smaller backyard flocks because this is what I’ve had the most experience with, and what most newbies start with.
For us backyard chicken tenders there are specific city rules and responsibilities. I go over some of those and other local chicken keeping resources in my post, Chickens in the Hood. I also bear my soul in the sobering blog, Fresh Eggs to Chicken Soup, about when we decided to cull a flock of our hens a few years back.
Transitioning to Winter
Transitioning hens to winter can be smooth when you follow a few simple steps… Yes, even if we’re rushing after a freakishly early snowstorm and weeks earlier than normal! Just pat yourself on the back that you’ve taken a step to lessen your reliance on corporate food systems and get a good pair of gloves for winter chores.
Keeping chickens over the winter really comes down to keeping them dry and out of the wind along with giving them plenty of food and water. This should give you happy hens down to -20°F. But, let’s get real- nothing is happy colder than that. Like at any other time of year, being with your hens and knowing their routines is your best offense.
If there’s one thing you get out of this article, let it be that chickens are tough birds! While cold by itself can harm chickens, the thing that can really harm your hens is that sneaky combination of damp + cold together which causes frost bite faster. We’ll cover this in depth later on. For now, we’ll go over three area; the coop, the hens, food + water, but of course they all intermix along the way.
The Coop
Coops come in all shapes and sizes. If you ever need coop inspiration check out Egg|Plant Urban Farm Supply’s annual “Chicken Coop Tour”. So, what might work in one yard/coop/flock may not in another. I’ll give basic ideas that can be used to fit your chicken coop no matter the shape or size.
Current Coop, notice covered run area
Coops need ventilation, but not wind. This can seem antithetical. Think of it this way- we leave our coops uninsulated but cover the 6’X6’ mesh window in winter. Heat, and most importantly moisture, will escape between the roof trusses this way.
Once upon a time, when we were chicken newbies, we insulated our coop. Airtight. Too well. Luckily, that was during the warmer winters of a decade ago. But, even with lows around 20°F I noticed a LOT of humidity in that coop.
Poop in the Coop
As air gets colder it loses its ability to hold moisture. Add to that, the fact that chicken poop also contains all the urate (what humans would pee separately) and you’ve got a high percentage of water to deal with. The urate is also where that ammonia smell comes from. Most people keep a minimum of 4-6 hens in a relatively small space in urban/suburban settings.
So, let’s imagine it’s one of those -10F mornings and they’ve been in there all night (PS- chickens poop in their sleep) cooped up… then they go outside with colder temps, and maybe some wind chill, the dampness surrounding their combs quickly becomes frozen and you’ve got a hen with frostbite in a few minutes.
With colder but dry combs as the hens come out of the coop, they’re much less likely to get frostbite. So, you can see how important good ventilation becomes!
One of the basics is keeping chickens dry – and if you didn’t notice over your honey-moon period of chicken keeping over the summer- chickens release a LOT of poop, around 1/3 – ½ pound per day depending on the breed. That $#% needs somewhere to escape! If you’re really interested in the chicken digestive tract, and not squeamish about lots of chicken poop pictures, Check out Fresh Eggs Daily’s post: All About Chicken Poop.
Poop Plate ready for scraping off poopsicles!
Here’s where I’ll give a big Shout out to the “Poop Plate”. This is any board (or piece of metal for really easy scraping) that you put below the roosts to catch poop, because remember chickens poop in their sleep! This makes cleaning the coop so much easier in winter.
The back side of the fencing is covered in plastic, notice no snow on that side!
Lots of northern chicken tenders enclose their chicken run to some extent. I usually tack on an old clear plastic shower curtain or some garden poly. This lets light in, but keeps wind and snow out. It can even get a little like a greenhouse on calm, sunny days. I tend to wrap just two sides, because the whole idea is to have them outside, and it’s only on the coldest days that I’ll confine them into either the inner coop, or the coop + run.
How Cold is Too Cold?
As always, I think watching your chickens and see where they hang out is your best chance for raising happy hens. There’s no hard and fast rule to how cold chickens can survive because it depends on the breed, any wind and relative humidity. But generally, if it’s not getting above 0°F I don’t let mine out. If it’s only going to get to single digits, I tend to let them out in the afternoon- and keep them in the run so they don’t get so involved in scratching they forget how cold they are. This usually only happens a handful of times every winter.
We also try to have a solid covering in place for winter over the run, this really helps keep snow out. This not only makes it nicer for the girls in winter, but also in spring when everything melts having snowpack underfoot becomes one HUGE mess! Ask me how I know 😉 *We usually have small run areas, 4’X6” or 3’X8’.
I know some of our chickens hated going into the snow and would only venture out after others had forged a path. Others would fly into the middle of a snowy backyard without a care. Both are normal. Both are OK.
Hay There!
Add more hay. We use hay in our garden to insulate plants, and in our coop to insulate the chickens. We’ll be trying the deep litter method again this winter. This is the practice of adding more hay to the spent bedding throughout the winter and letting it decompose in place. While this sounds gross, it’s actually pretty cool, *if* you can keep the moisture down. The idea is come spring, you’ll have some finished (or nearly finished) compost for the garden. The decomposing hay and chicken poop give off heat, a nice bonus during our cold winters.
You’ll also want to make sure that ALL the chickens can comfortably fit on a roost up off the ground as sleeping on the floor invites disease and is colder. They also appreciate a roost off the ground outside in winter!
Coop Heaters
A point of contention for some chicken tenders is whether to heat the coop. Heating the coop can keep your chickens from getting acclimated to the winter temps and they’ll end up staying inside more; getting less fresh air and less chance to move around and forage. It can also pose a fire hazard if a cord is near or on the ground. You may think you’ve got the cord tucked away, but seriously chickens can be worse than rock stars at an after party.
We never heated our coops until a friend gave us this heater with her hens that we added to our flock. I will say they serve a purpose. It goes back to we do use a timed light bulb to add light hours to their days. Adding light keeps chickens laying eggs more consistently. Chickens slow down and speed back up their laying with the seasons, unless given a little supplemental light. We usually set it to go off an hour or two before normal sunrise, starting around November, going until February. I’d suggest starting earlier in the morning rather than at night, because a light that suddenly goes off might catch a hen off guard. This means a hen could spend the night on the ground and will end up more stressed out as a result.
The Hens
It never fails, I always have that one hen that starts molting about the time the temperature dips. I take care to give hens molting in cold weather extra dry spaces, as girls without feathers around their necks or under wings are the only hens that might have a hard time staying warm enough.
In general chickens are very capable of keeping themselves warm. While they aren’t exactly like wild birds (think chickadees and cardinals) remember they are birds. Some birds hang out in Minnesota (and even colder places!) all winter long. That said, cold tolerance varies with breed; larger breeds being the best in cold climates mostly due to body mass.
Frost Bite + Comb Care
Frost bite can harm our hens quickly and permanently. It can happen within a few minutes but is avoidable. The bigger, thinner and more ridged the comb, the easier it is to get frostbite. I’ll give a shout out to pea combs here. Those tiny, barely-there combs hardly ever get frost bite because they have good blood supply and are so close to the head. Big floppy combs, while adorable will need some extra care in a typical Minnesota winter.
You can see a bit of frostbite on this buff’s comb, black tip and then white.
When it gets “January Cold”, as my kids call it- I bring out the small jar of coconut oil and place it above the wood stove to have at the ready. Coating the combs and wattles creates a waterproof barrier between the skin and the cold. Not very insulating, but it keeps the wet off. And remember Cold + Moisture causes frostbite faster on combs. Have I pounded that in enough?
Even so – I like to push the limits and let my girls outside as much as possible, and mine have gotten frostbite. You’ll first see white tips on their combs. Then they will turn black. Really bad cases the affected parts will fall off. This is very painful for your hens, and we try to avoid this at all costs.
Food + Water
As always, give your hens plentiful feed, indoors and outdoors, as long as it can be kept dry. I tend to up their protein during the transition time too, this especially helps that one hen who’s always molting. The protein can be ground up nuts, leftover beans, or a few extra meal worms. I also make up some fun winter treats like garland from produce past its prime; like apples, kale/broccoli leaves, cabbages, and even cranberries. Another favorite treat to feed inside the coop (because it is dry and full of extra energy for when it is really cold and they are stuck inside the coop) is the “Flock Block”
Some people put dog waterers inside, and this just seems like a mess waiting to happen. If you have a smaller backyard coop, please do not put an open topped heated dog waterer inside your coop. Chickens will walk through, poop in, and just get wet (wet = cold) with open water inside a coop.
We use a simple heating pad under the regular waterer which is raised up off the ground. This keeps the water clean, and thawed on all but the coldest of mornings. We just inherited a heated waterer unit and plan on using this outside the coop for an additional water source during the winter to replace the extra water dishes I fill up in the summer.
The girls love snacking on my harvested microgreen trays before composting.
I will typically add a tablespoon or two of Apple Cider Vinegar to their water once a week just to help their systems. ACV is one of my secret winter weapons to keeping my flock healthy.
I also keep greens around for them for calcium and for something to work at in the winter. I am a huge fan of brassica leaves for my hens. This gives them a great boost of calcium, plus so many other nutrients. It also keeps them busy. I toss over the lower/larger broccoli, cauliflower, beet and kale leaves all summer. I purposefully leave some brassica plants standing in the garden as long as I can to break off leaves and parcel them out to the girls. Later in winter/early spring they get leaves I’ve frozen for them.
Keep it FUN
Adding some herbs, like thyme, mints, lemon balm or oregano to their bedding isn’t necessary, but is a nice extra line of defense. Thyme and oregano have serious herbal benefits with anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant effects. I add herbs to their bedding, which they scratch in too, to give them a leg up on any congestion issues they might get. *I use thyme tea to sooth my own sore throats and coughs too.
For a real treat, we’ll string up a cabbage, or set out a chicken treat stick. We plan to give them some ‘garland’ for a Christmas treat – and if you missed it, I just presented my girls with a pumpkin Rooster- ha! I wanted to leave with you a reminder that keeping chickens is FUN!
I’ve got some video on winter prep under my “Chicken TV” Stories on Instagram, if you’re looking for visual how to’s!
Me and my old girl Sassy
I hope this helps prepare you for a FUN winter of chicken keeping in the bold north! Let me know if you have other tips and tricks for keeping your hens happy all winter long!
As you drive up the country lane you can’t help but feel the at home arriving to this teaching farm. This unique farm combines a quaint country landscape with wagon loads of knowledge and passion to empower people with developmental disabilities.
This is one of those magical places where time stands still, and you get to simply BE in the moment; whether you are visiting the apple orchard, chickens, cats, goats, donkeys, cows, bee hives, gardens or meandering wildflower paths.
But there is a lot more than wondering and wandering happening on these 21 acres. just north east of the Twin Cities.
Teaching Farm
As a teaching farm, the space is specifically designed for adults and children with disabilities. They offer seasonal day programming and special events throughout the year as a way to “foster inclusive connections that are rooted in real life.”
What a gift to the community the three main staff have cultivated with sweat equity – and a guardian angel who wishes to remain anonymous.
I first met up with the team on a frigid + snowy day in January, and like all good farm folks, they were deep into dream mode! Even in the snow they shared their vision of hands-on activities giving those with disabilities a chance to commune with nature and each other.
That dreaming and planning paid off this summer. Even with Covid, they continued with programming for most of their farmers, a huge feat considering the current situation. I see it as more evidence of the commitment to their vocation, the farmers and animals who know this teaching farm as home.
It certainly takes a deep commitment to keep a farm like this up and running. Three highly trained and passionate staff keep things sprouting and running.
Meet the FarmHers
Laura, Amy and Brittany of 21 Roots
Meet the brains, brawn and heart of 21 Roots. Like any great team they create a synergy together that is inspiring to watch.
Amy – Co founder and Farm Operations Brittany– Co founder and Program Manager Laura – Farm Manager
The Origin Story
Amy and Brittany were college friends and the dream to open something like 21 Roots Farms took hold shortly after they graduated. After gathering ideas and experiences, they are living the dream! They purchased the farm (with the help of a guardian angel) in October of 2018, have now gained 501(c)3 status and are offering the nature-based programming they’ve dreamed of.
The Farm Land
A variety of hands-on experiences center around sustainable farming practices. They have an orchard full of fruit trees; cherry trees that produce enough to be used by Sarah’s Tipsy Pies, and apple trees heavy with fruit every fall! The chickens also hang out up in the orchard and are much loved (read chased!) by all the visiting farmers!
The larger animals; their cows, donkeys and goats are kept in the big red barn seem to be the real stars…They have an adorable page dedicated to their animals, I highly recommend visiting the “Meet the Animals” page on 21 Roots to get in your daily does of cute!
They have a few different field and garden spaces where they’re growing food crops as well. Raised beds with square foot gardening grids sit next to wide open rows of crops.
The garden area even has a fun potato growing bin- my kids thought this was the coolest potato plant they’ve ever seen- because they could actually SEE it! I mean really, how cool is that!
The underground worm bin and hot compost in the chicken area are other working experiments that show the love of learning from real life that the farm provides.
The wildflower fields are thanks to the previous owners’ prairie restoration project that was started a few years back and is flourishing now.
The Programs
The farm offers day programs, which were able to continue even during Covid as all activities are held outside and were capped at 10 ‘farmers’. Different days focus on slightly different facets of the farm, but all days include time to love on the animals and appreciate nature doing her thing. The personal attention and innovative farming and teaching techniques make for a bit of learning magic!
Farm to Home Animal Yoga Video
The Popular ‘Farm to Home’ videos cover bite size pieces of information while up close and personal with animals. Sometimes reading children’s books, sometimes just hanging with the cast of animal characters on the farm. Another gift they freely give to us all.
I joined in the fun this summer during one of their “Wednesday Explorers” sessions. We talked about seed saving, walked their wildflower fields and made pollinator seed bombs. What a fun way to spread my love of gardening!
We’re planning a seed saving event of a larger scale this fall as well- if you’re interested in saving seed from this farm’s prairie restoration area for use in local Seed Libraries, please contact me directly by commenting on this post, or messaging me on social media!
Part of the Sunflower Circle + Barn
Get Involved
Like any nonprofit 21 Roots always benefits from both volunteers and donations. They have a volunteer interest form you can fill out online and a link to donate as well.
Your time and efforts will reap more than you sow – it’s just that kind of place. Every time I visit I leave feeling good knowing this farm is out there, ready and waiting to serve as inspiration to keep adults and children with disabilities learning from and connecting with nature.
Simply being at 21 Roots Farm helps your spirit roam wild, while cultivating a sense of community. Choose to volunteer or donate and be part of living out the motto “it’s not the destination it’s the journey”.
Go to 21rootsfarm.org for more information on programming and how you can help today.
Find a way to dig in to this local teaching farm and you’ll be happy as a Kid again 😉
