Author: Michelle (Page 5 of 6)

Digging in to Farm to Table

October 3, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Farm to Table means different things to different people. But everywhere I look people are digging into the backstory of their food. I see more of us asking questions about local, organic, sustainable and regenerative. What I don’t often hear are questions about the farm families that bring us that food. So, when the Twin Cities Mom Collective invited me to talk with some women farmers of Common Ground Minnesota, I was all in.

The two organizations recently brought together local moms like myself with Minnesota farm women to ‘talk turkey’ and corn, soybeans, beef production, etc…

The Setting

We met at the iconic “Farm at the Arb” which has been restored to all its glory. The barn itself is rustic chic and the gathering lawns, landscaping and vistas put it over the top! As stunning as the Farm is, it is only one historic chapter in the story of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum (the Arb).  

The University of Minnesota has managed the Arb’s 1,200 acres since 1958. It boasts seemingly endless display gardens, plants, tree and shrub collections and educational offerings. This place is a mecca of sorts for Midwest gardeners and nature lovers alike.

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Patty Pan Lasagna

October 1, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Basket of just picked Patty Pan

Everyone loves Lasagna, right!? Here’s my veggie-heavy version. And the trick is using larger (what people may think of as past their prime) Patty Pan squash.

Patty Who?

Patty Pan squash are a prolific heirloom variety that I think of something between a summer and winter squash. The firmness and dense texture of these squash make for a much closer “faux pasta” than regular summer squash! I love all kinds of squash, especially zucchini, and have a dedicated blog all about different ways to use those beauties in Zucchini a Zillion Ways.

The plants themselves are large, but not as big as some typical zucchini plants can get. I got my seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, “White Scallop”.

So how does a big ole squash become pasta-ish? Welcome my trusty mandolin. I use this simple kitchen appliance to slice and shred and it makes my veggie loving life so much easier! From beet chips to slaw I use this almost everyday. A note of caution, the blades are VERY sharp. Most mandolin packages come with a ‘guide’ or shield of some sort, I suggest using that for whenever you get even a little close to the slicing blade.

VIDEO: watch a mandolin slicing patty pan in action

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Eco-Friendly Eating

September 24, 2021 / / 0 Comments

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. 

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cover crop growing in raised garden bed

Cover Crop Basics

September 1, 2021 / / 6 Comments

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.

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Weather Makes the Garden Grow

April 2, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Peas happy to have a light snow last April

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!

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Seed Starting 101

February 20, 2021 / / 7 Comments

Seed Starting Tips Step by Step

Tiger Eye Beans

Seeds are nothing short of magic!

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!

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Using the Winter Sowing Technique with Vegetables

January 20, 2021 / / 10 Comments

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

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Sausage, Kale + Potato Potage

January 8, 2021 / / 0 Comments

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…

Enjoy digging in to this hearty potage!

Michelle

Growing Microgreens

December 4, 2020 / / 1 Comment

GROW THOSE (micro) GREENS!

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!

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100 Mile Meals

November 6, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Food Miles Matter

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)
  • Oranges from Florida- 1,800 miles
  • Avocados from California- 2,000 miles
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