Category: Local Food (Page 7 of 13)

All about local food finding in the Twin Cities

Kale Yeah!

October 24, 2019 / / 3 Comments

My Switch has been flipped and my body is craving hearty soups, roasted veggies and all. the. Kale!

Kale really is the QUEEN of the late Fall garden. It is by far one of the easiest plants to grow and it just keeps giving. Easier to grow than many other superfoods, this stuff was made for Minnesota gardeners.

Growing Kale

Kale can happily grow with only 6 hours of sunlight, and will still produce tender leaves – making it a great option for those of us struggling with the shady side of the garden. Like most leafy things, it likes a healthy dose of Nitrogen, my best practice is to add homegrown compost to the top before planting.

There are quite a few different varieties out there and they are not all created equally.

Kale Variety Role Call

Kale growing in garden with red leaved vines behind it.
Dwarf Blue

Seed Savers Exchange Dwarf Blue Curled Scotch Kale has consistently tender leaves, and stay roughly one and half feet tall. One of my all time favorites.

The Westlander Kale from High Mowing Organic Seeds was a show stopper this season, producing the ‘Kale Trees’ loved by vegetable gardeners.

Lacinato Kale
Lacinato

I prefer any kind of curly kale to Lacinato (aka Dino) Kale about 1000 : 1. So when I am raving about kale, keep in mind I do NOT mean the stuff pictured above. I mean nothing is 100% perfect, right…

Red Russian

Red Russian is a striking beauty that had a more leathery texture than the others I’ve grown, so I suggest using these in cooked form. Still very much worthy of a spot in the garden.

Scarlet

A single glorious Scarlet Kale from that OVERWINTERED (yes through last years insane polar-vortex temps) and is happily living its best life towards the back of my garden, partly shaded and loving it. I’ve now overwintered plants from the seeds of this kale.

I may have saved the best for last- this is for sure my new favorite for late season harvests and the fact that it is a true perennial in my Zone 4b Minnesota garden.

Homesteader’s Kaleidoscopic Perennial Kale Grex

image of perennial kale growing in the garden with garlic chive flowers peeing into the frame.

Not only is this a perennial, but the variety of leaves coming from that single seed packet, from flat to curly, darkest green to purples- but all with the best kale flavor I’ve grown. This is also my go-to variety for blanching and freezing to use all winter long. The only company selling these amazing seeds is Experimental Farm Network.

Cold Hardy

Most kale varieties can easily handle temperatures down to 10F. So even up here in Minnesota we can keep these beauties growing into November. A few years back they lasted until our Christmas meal! Because of their size and ability to take the cold I have never grown these with any season extension covers or hoops.

A bowl of freshly harvested kale in the snow


After the first few frosts you’ll fall even more in love with this veggie. They get sweeter with each passing frost!

HARVESTING TRICK

Snap off those bottom leaves first working your way up the stalk as you go. This is a key to not being stuck with big, tough leaves! This is especially important if you want to keep enjoying all season long.

You can always snap off a few leaves and freeze them rather than having to eat tough leaves a few weeks later! This will also leave you with adorable kale trees at the end of the season.

Meet the Kalettes!

Kalettes are kale’s hipster little sister. They’re a mix of kale and Brussel Sprouts. These are gorgeous to grow, with intense purple stems, and purple coloring into the base of the leaf clusters.

They take up a huge space like Brussel Sprouts, and produce a lot of fluff – but the taste is pretty awesome! I’ll grow two or three plants next year instead of six.

Cooking with Kale

We grow a LOT of kale, so here’s how we use it.

Fresh

Chopped and ‘massaged’ (when you run olive oil into the leaves to tenderize them) salads, Here’s one of my favorite chopped kale salad combos as highlighted on my website‘s recipe page.

Kale Chopped Salad
Ingredients
3-4 Cups Kale, torn
Drizzles of EVOO, honey, 
1/2 Lemon juiced
S&P
A few Craisins
Directions
Toss into blender of choice and just barely pulse.
Can add fresh berries, parmesan cheese and nuts after blending 

Crispy

Kale chips are such a great way to sneak in ALL those Vitamins, minerals and Protein! We just tear and massage in EVOO, bake on a sheet pan for 5-10 minutes at 350F. You can use whatever seasonings you feel like that day- chili powder, cumin, onion powder, or go for an Asian taste and add in Aminos and red pepper flakes. One note; garlic powder tends to burn for me on these.

Steamed + Sautéed

Warm Squash and Crisped Kale Salad!

Have you ever cooked up a pan of kale and red onions? If not, this needs to be one of the next things you try. I’ll add a simple mix of kale greens, onions + garlic with chick peas and roasted squash and boom you’ve got your self a perfect fall salad. This recipe is included in my Market Meals post from last winter.
Add kale, onions and tomatoes to your egg scramble in the morning to boost flavors and nutrients.

Preserving Kale

Since we grow so much kale it is one of the veggies we preserve a lot of as well. I used to just wash tear and freeze, but have found that it holds both its flavor and its texture better if I steam blanche it first. Steam blanching is better for greens that regular blanching directly into the boiling water as it helps retain more of the nutrients.

I then pack the blanched kale leaves into muffin tins and freeze overnight. Then remove the ‘pucks’ which equal roughly 2 cups of fresh kale into freezer bags (important to squeeze out as much moisture before freezing). With the air removed from the bag, its also a great space saving way to store kale. We use frozen kale in recipes all winter long.  Frozen kale is perfect for adding into soups and stews, you can also eat it just like steamed/creamed spinach – YUM.

If your main use of frozen kale is in smoothies, I’ll suggest you DO NOT blanche it before freezing. There is something magical about the way kale crumbles and loses some of its toughness when frozen raw. If you’ve never liked kale in smoothies, I challenge you try frozen kale and let me know!

Kale

So, are there any Kale Nay Sayers left out there? What can I do to convince you of kale’s abundant awesomeness?

Tell me, which recipes are you going to dig into first?

Michelle

Perennial Pollinator Plants

June 22, 2019 / / 1 Comment

The best perennials to add around (or in) your Vegetable Garden

Adding a few pollinator perennials to your vegetable garden border can really get your garden buzzing. There are so many reasons these flowers made this list. But lush, easily accessible nectar and pollen sources paired with beauty and easy growth were baseline qualifiers.

A Mix of Annuals + Perennials

These plants bring in pollinators, they add beauty to the garden, and all plants listed here are Minnesota native (unless you ask the DNR then Yarrow is still in the ‘undecided’ category), unless notes so they are quite literally at home in your garden.  But really, pollinators are looking to get nectar and anything you plant will help them, there are just a few that do really well here in the Midwest that I want to share.

At this point in the season we can see where our gardens have some holes. We likely know where we want to fill in or add another layer of color or texture. This is a great time to add perennials to your mix!

Milkweeds- Asclepias syriaca

These plants hold a special place in any pollinator-lovers heart because of their direct symbiotic relationship with Minnesota’s struggling State Insect, the Monarch butterfly! I love the common milkweeds shape and form in my garden, which may explain why I let it compete with my potatoes, and the flowers are spectacular! Weed is part of the name 😉 But, with the milkweed comes the monarchs.

Multiple stages (called Instars) of caterpillars and one chrysalis!

Both hunting for eggs and caterpillars and watching them grow in the garden and bringing them inside to raise is part of our routine. Swamp Milkweed is more often suggested for garden use as it is slightly less invasive and the monarchs love them just as much. Our plants just showed up once I started digging our garden beds- so I figure they’re supposed to be there! Here’s an earlier post all about Raising Monarchs with my kids.

Meadow Blazing Star – Liatris Ligulistylis

My Meadow Blazing Star creates this magical draw for ALL the butterflies and bumbles in August, but the Monarchs hold rein here! My boys patiently wait for the monarchs to gather so they can walk underneath them and just “BEE” with them. So, you’d have to

“It blooms primarily in August, just when the Monarchs are preparing for their long migration south; a synchronization that has evolved over hundreds of years, and a good example of how native plants and pollinators are deeply dependent on one another.” – From the Prairie Moon Nursery website.

Blue Giant Hyssop- Agastache Foeniculum

Can you spot the happy Bee in flight?

Agastache was such a revelation to me. I’d heard of Anise Hyssop, giant Blue Hyssop, Lavender hyssop, but never seen it ‘doing its thing’ until a walk through a friend’s garden and WOW!  This pollinator MAGNET is at home in the perennial border, the herb and veggie garden and the prairie. She’s a true multi-tasker, attracting Bees, Butterflies and Hummingbirds (I’ve had hummingbird moths visit ours as well!) with its long bracts of flowers. Its leaves make a delicious licorice tea that soothes throats- if yo can bare to take away blooms from the insects… A very hardy Minnesota Native its even boasts deer resistance!

Agastache spikes standing out in the pollinator garden

I seeded mine and the plants were off and running first year, I’ve been getting tall flowy stalks of blooms since the second year. The free flowing form and solid later summer nectar make this a natural addition.

Bee Balm – Wild Bergamot – Monarda Fistulosa

With a name like Bee Balm it has to be good 😉  Well, all the pollinators certainly agree this is one of their favorites. I have a large swath of native bee balm next the path leading to my vegetable garden and I dubbed it the pollinator runway (see photo below). All kinds of pollinators are drawn to these beauties- including the hawk moth!

Pollinaotr Runway

These plants will take over an area, so be ready to pull out the babies that will pop up from underground runners- I rarely throw any plants away though, usually just tucking them into a spot a little further away or back, adding to my pollinator radius. They have a shorter bloom time than the hybridized varieties of monarda- but some of the hybrids don’t have viable nectar sources for pollinators, which kind of defeats the purpose, right! I’ve got a list of verified pollinator friendly stores towards the end of this story.

Yarrow- Achillea Millefolium

MN Native and besides bringing in the bees, it also accumulates nutrients, great for growing under fruit trees. It also has those special umbel shaped flowers which attract so many beneficial aphid eating insects (lacewings to parasitoid wasps). You can also use it as a tea and compress for inflammation. The flowers come in an array of colors, the most common being white, ranging to bright yellows to pinks. Blooms June to September.

Comfrey- Symphytum *Non Native*


This may be lesser known perennial but is making a fast and furious come-back do to its wide-spread use in permaculture gardens. The sweet little umbels of blue, then purple then fading to white bell-shaped flowers emerge from a large (mine is over 4 feet tall and three feet wide) plant that attracts bees by the hoards. The leaves contain a chemical (     ) that jump starts composting when added to the compost heap that are most potent if clipped before the blooms open. It is an easy plant to tend that grows almost anywhere, with little disease and no pest issues. It is also used as an anti-inflamatory. Comfrey is toxic if ingested, so even though I have used it onmyself I can’t recommend it here. 😉 non-native from Europe and asia

What I’m adding this Summer

Smooth Blue / Sky Blue Aster – Symphyotrichum / oolentangiense

Native to dry fields and open woods these aster take over in the late summer, blooming August through October. I’m adding these to extend my pollinator season a little further. I got a variety that’s close to this froma  frien’d raing garen gone crazy, but I’ll grab a few of the Sky Blues this summer.

Who’s Missing?

Where’s the Coneflower (echinacea)?? Well, while I do see tons of pollinators on mine, I think of these as more of a bird flower- as the finches go nuts for the seeds every fall. They are a beautiful multi-tasking plant too.

Where’s the Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)? This is also a great perennial pollinator plant, and honestly I just had to draw the line somewhere 😉

Where’s the False Indigo (Baptisia)? This is not often mentioned as a pollinator plant, but with this LARGE plant and all it’s blooms it brings in the bumbles like mad.

Perennial Pollinator Plants WITHOUT Neonicotinoids

Here’s a short list of my favorite places to buy local, chemical free plants for pollinators

White Bear Lake Seed Library

Prairie Moon Nursery

Prairie Restoration

There have been tomes written about pollinators and helping plant habitat. My favorite valuable pollinator sites are the Xerxes Society and our local Pollinator Friendly Alliance.

If you’re interested in digging deeper into your native flowers check out our local chapter of  Wild Ones native garden club.

As I was collecting my thoughts on these plants, I kept noticing that many of the perennials that the pollinators are also loved by humans. I get such a kick thinking about flowers + bees + humans all evolving together to be mutually beneficial on this beautiful earth! Let’s see if we can’t be as beneficial as our pollinators someday.

Pollinaotr field in August

What’s your Favorite?

Everyone has their own list of favorites flowers… our tastes grow from of a generous friend giving you a plant, memories of grandma’s garden, or maybe you were inspired by a photo on Instagram or in a magazine…  I’d love to know, what are your favorites and why? Are you adding any flowers to your vegetable patch this season?

Dig In!
Michelle

Family Friendly Farm Visits

June 6, 2019 / / 0 Comments

Summer is short and so sweet in Minnesota (ok, Wisconsin too)! Let’s savor each day with plenty of outside time, fun new experiences, family time and play… for us this mean plenty of farm visits!

I’ve got quite the line-up for you guys! I’ve gathered my favorite farm visits that are also family friendly. These farms will get you feeling one with nature, closer to your roots, and eating farm to table to boot.

These are the real deal. Real crops, real animals, real history, real fun. Grab the sunscreen, pack the picnic basket and buckle up!

Bruentrup Heritage Farm

Dairy Day Ice Cream Social June 17 FREE
Locally made ice cream at a farm, nuff said.

Farm to Table Summer Camp: August 5-8
Camp for kids entering 2nd-5th grade that brings them through the Farm to Table process of milk to butter, cheese and ice cream- and making their own bread from farm fresh ingredients! More info HERE.

Bruentrup Heritage Farm is nestled between Maplewood and White Bear Lake and comes with the idyllic big red barn and front porch. Run by the Maplewood Area Historical Society, this is a community hub of family fun activities. The Bruentrup family donated their farm to the society in 1999 and the community has been in love with it ever since. This is also an amazing spot for weddings if you know anyone who’s looking 😉 Their Facebook page is the place to follow for event updates and announcements.

Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center

Apple Festival October 12 & 13

The annual highlight of this little gem of a non-profit nature center is their Apple Fest! Good old down-home fun where kids can pick heirloom varieties of organic apples, get dirty and play in the hay bales- they’ll have to run off all that cider and apple crisp somehow…

The Carpernter St. Croix Valley Nature Center is the best kept secret on the river. They have both MN and WI campuses and miles of glorious trails overlooking the river that divides them. The apple orchard is magical, and be sure to check out the old farm house off of the north loop trail! They hold some sweet Summer Camps, a good selection still have availability, check out the variety of options HERE.

Co-op Farm Tour

July 13th FREE

The Cows of Turnip Rock Farm last Summer’s Farm Tour

Mark your calendars for the ‘Eat Local’ Co-op Farm Tour. This event lets you tour some of the best local farms in the (extended) area. There are a record high 26 farmers participating this summer! Farms include Beef, Dairy, Fish, Flower, Honey, Hops and good old Vegetables. This is kind of the grand-daddy of all farm visits!

Pack a picnic, bring lots of ice cold water and an extra cooler for all the (REALLY) farm fresh food you can find that day! It’s a great way for kids and adults alike to see first-hand where the food they eat starts out. The farms that participate usually have something to entice the little ones out- check each farm’s page link for more info.

Gibbs Farm  

General Admissions: $8 adults, $7 seniors 62+, $5 children 4-16

Ice Cream Sunday: Every other Sunday, June 16th to August 25th
Make your own sundae and enjoy fresh local dairy!

Prairie Festival: August 3rd included in General Admissions.
Celebrating the Dakota people and foodways, past and present with stations to learn about the seasonal ways like wild ricing.

This is the little farm that could. This well loved historical farm is tucked into the east side of the cities along the edge of U of MN Ag land. Costumed staff provide a glimpse into nineteenth century Pioneer and Dakota daily life.

There are both original and replica buildings, including and one-room schoolhouse (my kids favorite) a log-and-sod home, plus the original Gibbs farmhouse and barn. What sets this place apart is the inclusion of a Dakota summer bark lodge, and a tipi and their almost equal representation of Indigenous history along with European settler history.

photo credit: Gibbs Farm

The historical tours are led by knowledgeable costumed interpreters open most weekends in summer. Pioneer Tours at 10:30am, 12:30pm and 2:30pm. Dakota Tours are 11:30am and 1:30pm.

MN Food Association: Big River Farms

Small Scale Composting with Worms: June 22, 10-12

Growing Oyster Mushrooms: June 29, 10-12

All About Monarchs: July 27, 10-12

May Lee of Mhonpaj’s Garden
Full Story HERE

The staff at Big River Farms provide farmer education and technical assistance in all things sustainable farming. This summer they are doing a few new classes lead by their farmers in training; organic weed management, composting with worms, planting for monarchs and growing your own mushrooms.

The classes are probably more adult friendly than family friendly, but they made it on my list anyway. An adult could go to the class and the rest of the crew could wander and enjoy the beautiful farmland, or is worm composting a perfect start to a romantic date night… 😉 They also go above and beyond welcoming families during the Co-op Farm Tour.

Oliver Kelley Farm

Admission: $12 for adults, $6 ages 5-17 FREE for 4 and under and MNHS Members

Dairy Days:
June 22 + 23

Poultry Weekend:
July 20 + 21

Pickling Weekend:
August 17 + 18 

This is such a unique experience, and I’m so proud of our MN Historical Society for preserving this one of a-kind-farm for generations to come. Visiting is a way to get up close and personal with farm life from 150 years ago (that’s the 1860’s for anyone else who can’t do math).

The costumed staff are experts in teaching without preaching and making you feel part of the farm. I know that sounds corny, but go see for yourself. There’s always some in-season farm task, skill/job to be done and everyone gets to pitch in. It’s a real working farm, so visitors can meet the animals in the barn, help work in the fields and gardens, and see what’s cooking in the farmhouse.

The Oliver Kelley Farm is a National Historic Landmark which became a way more family friendly farm visit after opening their new visitor center! The addition of a farm lab to the site takes it above and beyond. Yes, I’m gushing but this is one of my happy places! My kids love the BIG oxen, and all the barn cats, and pumping water from the well to water veggies.

Tamarack Nature Center

Meet the Gardener: Mondays 10:15-11

Anna Newton is The Head Gardener at Tamarack

OK, this one is more garden than farm, but it’s a comprehensive garden laid out in a way that gives you solid ideas you can take home and make your own. And since my real motive is actually to get you growing more of your own food this fits perfectly 😉

Helping plant beans during a Meet the Gardener Session two years ago

Plus this Ramsey County Nature Center boasts the Discovery Hollow Nature Play Area. It doesn’t get much more family friendly than helping plant in a community garden and then wiggle your bare toes in a stream before hiking to the perfect picnic spot. They rotate topics for “Drop in Discoveries” on Saturdays. I’m super excited for the ‘Meet the Bees/Garden Party’ drop in sessions, on June 22, July 27 and August 24. Tamarack also holds a slew of the most desired summer camps in the metro area. A few spots remain.

White Pine Berry Farm

Strawberry Shortcake Social: June 29

Photo Credits: White Pine Berry Farm

A PYO farm run by The Zwald family, White Pine is a newbie on our list this year because of their Organic Certification! The name sells them a little short, as they also grow; asparagus, beans, ginger, (!!!) plums, tumeric, tomatoes and watermelon, yes my mouth is watering…isn’t yours!?!

They’ve got some fun events planned for this season with “A Day in the Country later this Fall. Check them out as part of the Co-op Farm Tour on July 13th. Follow their Facebook Page to stay in the loop.

Honorable Mentions

These family adventures are too good to miss! While not technically farm visits, they tie in gardening, local food and getting back to Nature. I just had to mention them…

Blueberry Fields of Stillwater – Organic P-Y-O blueberry farm from heaven. I love them so much I did a story on them last summer!

View at Borner Farm

Borner Farm Project: (delicious) Pizza Nights with a chill vibe on a mostly volunteer run farm in the middle of Prescott WI. Boom!

PolliNation Festival– August 25th The most fun you can have helping save the bees!

So, the only question now is which farm will you visit first?

If you happen to have a farm you love to visit, I’d Love to hear about it- as you can tell I’m a little obsessed with farm fresh!

Looking forward to digging into Summer!

Michelle

Foraging + Feasting

May 24, 2019 / / 3 Comments

From nettles, to fiddleheads, ramps to cattails and of course mushrooms- foraging is the darling of the foodie world right now, and for good reason.
Foraging gives food lovers a chance to go out and pick delicious locally grown food without any of the work of growing it… sounds like a dream, right! 

It IS dreamy, but let’s not over-romanticize it.  

The food did grow somewhere, seeds were moved about and then nestled into soil. Or underground runners ran and sprouted up at just the right spot. When you find food growing wild, take note- because you are witnessing that plant’s ideal growing conditions. What a gift!

a field of ferns

You know I love growing my own good food, but when Mother Nature does it for you, why not join the good food party!

A child who just harvested wild ramps
My eldest son ‘responsibly’ harvesting ramps

Forage Responsibly

In order to forage or harvest responsibly from an area and not kill the remaining plants (or yourself) you need to do a little research before you start ripping food from the earth. Thank you internet!

Know Before You Go

Know what variety you’re looking for, where they typically grow and when. Unless you stumble upon a field of ferns or a cattail dell you’ll have to get out, hike around and for your food- which is part of the appeal!  But knowing the habitat of the plant you’re after goes a long way!

Also- did you know you can help our local plant communities by pulling up (and then eating) Garlic Mustard! Foraging for nature in new ways.

the native plants thank you!
A woman standing with a basket of nettles
Thankful for neighbors with nettles!

Know the land you’re harvesting from. Is the land you’re planning to peruse public or private. Do you have permission to be there? Who can you ask you verify there haven’t been any pesticides/herbicides sprayed? Determining how far back you want a clean record is something to figure out before you jump out of the car!

Know how you’ll use the food when you get home! Food waste is food waste whether you bought it at the store, or found it growing in the wild. It helps me to remember that some animal could have eaten what you foraged, or the plant would have been stronger next year- so make use of what the earth grew for you! Search out recipes before you start foraging!

a child harvesting wild ramps in the woods

Responsible foragers know: never take more than half of anything you forage for!

Toby, age 9

Local Food Line Up

A jar of wild ramps sitting on a board outside

Ramps:  

These are truly the first of the first to emerge in my neck of the woods. Their mild garlic taste screams spring to me. From eggs to soups and breads, these add a depth to whatever dish they’re in.

Please gather these sustainably, as Minnesota ramp flushes are dwindling with the uptick in foragers. I go into details about ramp harvesting in this earlier blog post but basically, don’t take many from each stand, and try to cut above the bulbous root so it can recover and grow back the following year.

a colander of freshly harvested stinging nettle

Stinging Nettles:

A solid source of iron and a natural spring tonic to help flush toxins, there are so many reasons to eat your nettles!

Yes, they sting- or some say burn, so I always wear gloves and use tongs when working with these.

Blanching and drying do take the sting out, as does pureeing the heck out it, I still recommend blanching before pureeing as the BRIGHT fresh green holds longer after blanching.

Fiddleheads:

fiddlehead ferns all curled up on a plate

Tasting of mild asparagus , all kinds of ferns start as these adorable fiddleheads. Ostrich ferns are the gold standard for springtime delicacy as far as I’m concerned- this is one that you’ll have to scope out the year before- to see what the ferns turn into after unfurling they’re deliciousness.

cattails

Cattails:

Who knew the shoots tasted like cucumber! These are one of the easiest items to forage as they can be seen a mile away, and there’s not really anything else that looks like them 😉  These are simple, fresh + delicious, especially early in the season (like right now)! Do make sure they’re coming from a clean water source as they are a natural water purifier and accumulate toxins. You basically eat the heart of the stalk or shoot, and can also be pickled.

woman smiling with a morel in her hands standing in the woods

Mushrooms:

This is where it can tricky! Confessed MN Mushroom Newbie! I’ve only foraged for mushrooms in Sweden with experts, so I’m hesitant to dive into this. That and my kids don’t really enjoy them (but my hubby and I do, so…) It is best to go with knowledgeable friends or guides.

Some of my favorite LOCAL guides:
Sam Thayer of Forager’s Harvest
(Gorgeous new Field Guide book)
Alan Bergo of Forager Chef
Tim Clemens of Ironwood Foraging
Jamie of Chick of the Woods

For now I mostly buy them as a treat from my local mushroom farmer, Finney and the Fungi or at Forest to Fork at Keg + Case. However, a few favorites I’ll be keeping my eyes open for are Chanterelle and chicken of the woods.

I love that there’s always more to learn about the natural world growing all around us!

Lambs’ Quarters

A patch of mature Lamb's Quarters

The one non-native MN plant I always like to mention for early Spring foraging: lamb’s quarters. You’re going to find this beauty in disturbed soils. Most people think it is a weed, and it an aggressive little bugger, but I deal with it because I love the flavor and huge mineral stores it possesses. Well worth the space. Similar to spinach it often shows up before and lasts longer than my bolted spinach.

Spring Foraging Recipe Ideas

A plate of spring foods, foraged cattail shoots, spring radishes, spinach, toast and wild ramp pesto

What’s tastier than foraged nettle + ramp pesto… Eating it with foraged cattail hearts and early harvests from the garden.

I am at best a half-hearted recipe follower, so if you’d like a specific recipe, please google any of the following ideas that tempt you. Bonus: most of these are easy to make with your own spin by substituting ingredients and altering to your taste preferences.

dried wild ramp leaves- ready to make into ramp salt.

Ramp Salt:
Dried ramp leaves- dehydrate and crush/pulse with sea salt for a sublime seasoning for soups and stews, fish and chicken.
I’ve done ramp butter, but the salt, and just dehydrated leaves work better for my kitchen.

Nettle Pesto:

Nettle and ramp pesto

I blanched the stinging nettles before blending with ramps, pine nuts, cheese and EVOO for a fresh green powerhouse pesto.

Nettle Soup:
Scandinavian Nasselsoppa sounds so much better that stinging nettle soup, right! This is a basic ‘boiled with potatoes and broth’ kind of pureed soup to get you all caught up on your greens!

Nettle Tea:
Simply hang and dry. I mix with other leaves, such as raspberry, lemon balm or mint as I find it too strong on its own.

Cattail shoots

Cattails:

You’ll peel off over half of the outer layers of leaves to get to the white hearts. I always say I’m going to gather enough to pickle, guess its good to have goals 😉 really these are divine just eaten raw with some nettle pesto, or chopped on salads!

Add perennial vegetables/herbs like Rhubarb, chives and Asparagus into the mix and you could be eating flavorful, healthful and delicious meals after taking a walk. Spring in Minnesota is truly a bounty of good wild food!

Spring harvest of lamb's quarters, ramps, asparagus on a cutting board

What will you be foraging?

What other questions do you have about Foraging in Minnesota?

I love Digging into local food with you!

Michelle

Hugo Feed Mill

Hugo Feed Mill: Local Icon

May 9, 2019 / / 1 Comment

Walking into the Hugo Feed Mill & Hardware reminds us all why we call the good old days good. This place really is that special, not that you’d ever hear it from them…

This is a place that withstands the test of time and triumphs with knowledge blended with caring. I mean, when was the last time a store’s sales person actually listened to you; and then actually knew what you needed, had it for a fair price and did what it was supposed to. Obviously, their customers love them.

Steve Marier runs the Mill and is a fourth generation Marier Mill Manager (say that three times fast). He could easily double as the town historian. He’s been a part of Hugo’s shift from agricultural land to housing developments and Hugo feed mill is still thriving because he and his family desire to adapt to best serve their neighbors.

Walk Down Memory Lane

Steve remembers shoveling and delivering coal to homes and farms on the rail line, along with the huge pile of corn cobs that would get dumped in the parking lot after combining time. The mill itself was built in 1917, it’s been in Steve’s family since 1925. For many years it was mainly a country grain business, grinding local grains for feed.

I remember being a young girl, 8 or 9, and going ‘up to the Mill’ to get mallard ducklings to raise on our family’s pond. Since then Hugo Feed Mill has held a special place in this Urban homesteader’s heart. More history on their website.

It’s their up-to-date practices, with the latest products and applications mixed perfectly with their ability to help you grow that keeps customers coming back.

Greenhouse

Their greenhouse is open for the season with herbs and bedding plants. They’ll be overflowing with their signature HUGE selection of peppers and tomatoes by May 18th; thank you cold and wet Minnesota Spring.

Steve helping me find the right plant last Summer

Steve, aka “Dr. Pepper” estimates around 425 peppers 175 tomatoes varieties to be available in the Greenhouse this Spring.
They hold planting parties and tasting events on site. Steve also gives ‘Pepper Talks’ around town. Follow them on their Facebook Page, or sign up for their “timely tips’ email list to stay in the know on their events and specials.

The Mill is a great community partner as well. They give seed and starter plants to Giving Gardens each year. Giving Gardens is a non-profit helping neighbors grow food for themselves and food shelves.

They also tend a Kids Potting Bench where kids can pot up a free flower. Special flowers and pots available for some special kids over Mother’s Day weekend!

**Mention this blog or that you saw it on their Facebook page to get the special Mother’s Day plants!**

Happy Mothers Day from Hugo Feed Mill

Garden Supplies

A peek into their store

A full line of soil amendments, fertilizers and seeds is waiting inside the store. From sprinklers to live traps they have everything the home gardener could need- and if its not in their store they can likely order it for you. I learn something new each time I shop there.

Chick Orders

Two of our chicks from earlier this Spring

Their chick orders, minimum order of 5 per breed, run now through the end of May. They have over 20 breeds of chickens, and mallards. This is the first place I bought chicks, a dozen years ago. If you stop in when they have the chicks waiting to be picked up you might even catch a glimpse, and they sometimes have extras (another good reason to follow them on Facebook). More about raising urban chickens HERE.

My favorite place to get straw & feed

I also get all my straw from them for my backyard flock’s coop bedding. These bales also make a great base for straw bale gardens!

And their organic chicken feed, Nature’s Grown Organic, is my girls’ absolute favorite.

… & Hardware

Find farm supplies like fencing and stock tanks. Horse supplies like bedding and barn lime, bird feeders and seed and pet foods, even plumbing and electrical items (which I admit I didn’t really know!).

The Old Mill

Attached to the old mill is the storage and granary part of the business. Backing up to the loading dock always makes me feel like a little more of a farm girl than I really am 😉

There is always something new to find at Hugo Feed Mill, whether feed, seed or knowledge you’ll have to go find out for yourself.

I feel lucky to have had Hugo feed mill in my neighborhood for all of my years here, and close to 100 years in their family.

Let me know if you stop into Hugo Feed Mill- and be sure to tell me what you learned when you were there. They’re great at helping you get your fork in the dirt too!

Dig In,
Michelle

Springing into Local Food

May 1, 2019 / / 1 Comment
Spring Snap Peas!

Hello Spring!

The birds are singing, the ground has thawed and green is unfurling itself before our very eyes. Spring is officially here and that means the locally grown food is soon to follow!

Whether in backyard gardens or further away farms, nearby hidden foraging spots (like when I forage for ramps!), under lakes or deep in forests; our local food systems are waking up! This awakening is happening both with spring’s seasonal arrival and a mirrored cultural movement back towards local food.

Two Years Digging In

I’ve been fascinated with the why’s and how’s of the local food movement and its deeper deep roots. This is a huge part of why I started up Forks in the Dirt just over two years ago (Happy Anniversary!)

My littlest guy planting seeds, two years ago

The food we eat intimately impacts our daily lives, but for decades we’ve moved further and further away from that simple fact. Big business focused on making food more economical while inadvertently minimizing the dire nutritional and ecological implications. This focus was beneficial in some ways, and detrimental in others. Turns out growing food with an end goal of mass production and longest shelf life hurts our collective health, bank accounts and entire eco-system.

High fives all around for us waking up to those realities as a society. 

Choose Locally Grown

One of the easiest ways you can ‘be the change’ with our food system is realizing that you vote with your dollars three times a day. The food you buy effects the food chain in so many ways. Here’s an earlier article I wrote that touches more on WHY local food matters: Local Food For Thought.

Think about all the places you can make a choice about the food you eat:

  • Who grew the seed that grew your food
  • Who owns the land that grew your food
  • How many miles did your food travel
  • Who tended the land and livestock that became your food
  • What chemicals have been added to your food
Farmer Jessy of Gilbertson Farms and some tasty, humanely raised meats.

Answers to those questions are inherently baked into each meal and every snack you eat.

It can get overwhelming fast (another hint that our food system is broken)! But asking yourself just one of these questions a day will get you thinking about how much effort (and who’s effort) goes into each plate you eat.

I think the local food movement is an attempt to make food simple again. A pull to take back some control over what we put into our bodies.

What do you think?

My Local Food Journey So Far

So far I’ve had a winding but fun ride down the local food road. 

I started growing more of my own food years ago. Then I got to know a few more farmers that grew food. We raised backyard chickens. I learned how to can, freeze and dry more food. I still buy much of my food from local grocery stores, but I grow my own or buy local when I can. For me its about finding a balance that works for my family.

*Important Reminder*
Everyone’s scales are weighted differently to begin with so there’s no reason to compare!*

Farmer Molly of Niemczyck’s

I’m in awe of the abundance of the amount and diversity of food right here (like within a 20 mile radius!!) year round. From Deep Winter Greenhouses and Aquaponics providing fresh locally grown food through the dead of winter, to urban farmers changing the way we provide food to our neighbors during the growing season- change is happening, and fast.

Changes coming from places like the North Circle Food Hub,  The Good Acre and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA’s) plus more MN Farmers Markets than ever.
Gardening in general is up 200% in the last decade, according to the National Gardening Association annual report. Knowing where your food comes from just feels good.

Growing Hope

I recently attended Schoolyard Garden & Local Food conferences at the MN Landscape Arboretum and the message was loud and clear; Minnesotans are already awake to the food we are eating. There is currently a MN Farm to School Bill being decided in our state legislature, feel free to weigh in on that bill! I can’t wait to see how we collectively work to make our food system work better for us all.

Farmer May Lee of Mhonpaj’s Garden

As we head into spring and summer when locally grown food is SO VERY abundant, I encourage you to renew your commitment to: eat more local, healthy foods, grow something you can eat, buy from a local farmer. Get to know some of your food’s roots and see how your relationship to your food changes.

You can call me an urban homesteader, a dreamer, or just someone who puts her time where her mouth is. Any way you slice it, life has been pretty tasty lately. Thanks for digging in with me these last few years!

Looking forward to this season as we keep on digging in and crossing paths with farmers, food and doing good! What will you grow this season?


Michelle

Fresh Eggs to Chicken Soup

April 4, 2019 / / 6 Comments

This is our family’s story of how we transitioned through loving our backyard chickens to ultimately culling them
after they stopped laying.

For us crazy chicken people it’s *finally* time to place our orders and prepare for our hearts and homes to be overrun with cuteness and chicken poop. We pick up our new girls next week from EggPlant Urban Farm Supply and we can’t wait!

Living the Good Life

But this story is about our Old Girls, our first flock at this home, because although no one likes to talk about it- even those adorable baby chicks get old. My advice is to have a plan BEFORE you bring them home. It’s helpful to know what you’ll do once they stop laying, get sick, or just really old.

Truth Talking

This was a more emotional experience than I was prepared for. Much more so than when I’d had them in a farm setting, or that one time we had to cull a nasty rooster. We had 4 hens in our backyard chicken flock which my oldest son named Netty, Betty, Stella, Bella. They were regularly carried around, hand fed and in general, doted on.

I need you to know that for our family,
two things can and do co-exist:

1. I loved raising and tending to my girls; from fluffy baby chicks, to their awkward adolescence, molting, bumblefoot, vent gleet, even on -15F days where I had to change their water multiple times a day. They’re really endearing animals. Tending to their needs and completely spoiling them was our pleasure. Getting those eggs was awesome too!

2.I loved knowing where this meat came from: When the time came, we knew the girls had enjoyed a life far better than any of their counterparts who end up in a grocery store come from.

Now, I still get an occasional emergency rotisserie from Costco- but on average I really like knowing where my food comes from.

So, for us- once we got over the emotional roller coaster, the answer was clear. We’d be butchering our hens before Winter set in.

How We Decided it was Time

My family hadn’t gotten more than an egg a week from the girls since the end of August. I think I was in denial for quite a while…

Beetle Feeder Mania

After almost 2 full years of happily laying in the nesting boxes I began to find eggs scattered in the backyard. This was likely related to the Japanese Beetle ‘feeder’ I had made for the girls. They became so obsessed with the beetles that they didn’t return to their nesting boxes to lay their eggs in fear of missing the next bug!

The Perfect Storm

Bumble Foot Wrapping

Two of our four hens contracted bumble foot in late July and I figured the ‘no eggs’ was directly related to them taking their sweet time healing from that. Also a shout out to my dear friend, Nicole- a vet tech who helped with the initial backyard surgery. I owe you one girl!

Then one of the Ameraucana’s went into a full molt, then a Black Australorp followed. Hens usually slow down or stop laying while molting because feathers are all protein, and that takes A LOT to regrow your whole feather duster.

Egg Eaters

As I mentioned earlier, the hens weren’t going back to their nesting boxes to lay, so they were laying in the yard. Eggs laying around usually leads to one thing; egg eating. They were likely all eating eggs by the end. I only ever found a few remnant shells, but all four hens wouldn’t stop laying at the same time.

We tried many things to deter egg eating, and encourage laying in the coop. Replacing their finely crushed egg shells with oyster calcium in case that was the issue. Placing ‘false eggs’ for the nesting boxes and continuing to use the herbs that I grew to help promote laying and keep/get them healthy.

Since we had an egg eater, we couldn’t give them to a farmer to enjoy their retirement only to wreak havoc by teaching a new flock of hens to eat eggs…

It was Time

So, I guess once the molting was over, I had to ask myself a hard question. Was I going to keep a flock of non-laying hens through a cold Minnesota Winter? Cold winters can mean boredom for the girls. I’ve used lots of ways to combat boredom before- from scratch blocks, hanging cabbages, new roosts, swings etc., but this time it didn’t seem like a good trade off.

The idea of doing all that work without return didn’t sit well with my homesteader heart.

it was time

Having “The Talk” with our Kids

We talked to our sons about it at length. My husband and I reminded them of our discussion back when we first got the baby chicks that they would have to say goodbye to our backyard chickens at some point.  Our one son was fine with it, our other boy cried for hours when we first brought it up. He was sad about losing them for weeks.

Eventually, the butchering day came.

After a major refresher (thank you YouTube) we prepped for it and had a day when our boys were going to be gone for a 5 hour stretch…

…Afterwards

Not going to sugar coat it; that was difficult. I was sad. I kept trying to remember that we gave them a good life. Then, as there was work to be done, I just kind of came to terms with it.

The birds have now all been stewed and souped on. Even my boy who swore he wouldn’t eat any of the meat, chose to and really liked the soup. And I have to say the bone broth was really amazing.

So, love it or hate it; that’s this Suburban Homesteader’s story.

This time around my boys are just as excited to get our new baby chicks. If anything, we’re all wiser, and if anything we will lavish even more love on this new generation of backyard birds because of our previous girls. We are definitely more appreciative of the meat we eat because of this experience.

If you are (still) interested in raising backyard chickens, read my Chickens in the Hood blog for more how to info.

One thing I know for sure; I’ll never judge another person’s decision on anything like this. It is such a personal choice. One that I am proud our family made.

Those girls will always have a special place in my heart, they were good teachers in so many ways.

I’m curious; if you have chickens, what are your plans for when they stop laying? Obviously, no judgment here 😉

I can’t wait to share photos of my new fluffy babies with you all!

-Michelle

Home Grown Garden Resources

March 28, 2019 / / 1 Comment

Local Info to Get You Growing

More Americans are growing their own food – the numbers have been rising and were bumped up with the pandemic last spring, and the trend is here to stay!

Let’s take a tour of the places and faces of our local gardening scene!

Minnesota Garden Organizations

We’re so lucky our state values agriculture in all it’s forms!

The Minnesota State Horticultural Society has a long history of being at the forefront of helping northern gardeners thrive! Their resources include classes, Magazine The Northern Gardener, blogs, Seed collecting and distribution and bringing ‘Garden in a Box’ kits to communities across the state.

Part of the University of Minnesota extension services, the Master Gardener program educates volunteers. These volunteers educate residents in proven, eco-friendly gardening techniques to improve our environment. The Master Gardeners also accept questions via email via the “Ask a Master Gardener” link on the site. This site goes from soil sampling and seed sowing, to preserving the harvest.

The U of MN BEE LAB is another amazing resource for gardeners looking to work with nature and her ultimate pollinating machines. Resources on plant options, City Beekeeping rules and native pollinator trends abound.

Wild Ones is all about Native Plants + Natural Landscapes. They teach people about the importance of native plants, for the health of the environment and everything living in it. Our goal is to get more native plants in the ground in all landscapes — homes, businesses, schools, and more. They have a few different MN chapters so be sure to find the best fit for your area!

Local Plant Sales for 2023

These plant sales will start your garden off right! Good for your garden, the pollinators, your harvests and the community. Plants grown for these sales are never treated with Neonicotinoid pesticides, are non-GMO, locally raised by experts- and the sales directly benefit some great gardening programs.

Friends School Plant Sale
 May 12th-14th, at the State Fair Grounds

With 1,000’s of plant varieties this may be the largest single plant sale in the U.S. It is a fundraising event for the Friends School of Minnesota, a small Quaker K-8 school in St. Paul. Plants are grown as naturally as possible, 80% from local growers.

Ramsey County Master Gardeners Plant Sale
May 20th, 2022 – 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.​

Church of the Holy Childhood
1435 Midway Pkwy, St Paul

Over 300 varieties of plants grown by local master gardeners. The proceeds from this sale benefit the University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener programs in Ramsey County. 

Garden Clubs

Garden Clubs are a great way to get involved with your group of local gardeners. Most hold monthly meetings with speakers during the off season (Sept-April) with plant sales, community garden and other causes they support. Many towns and counties have their own clubs, here are a few I know and love.

Wild Ones

Mahtomedi Garden Club

Dakota County Garden Club

Northfield Garden Club

Community Gardens


The YMCA Community Gardens have raised beds for rent!

Our town boasts some fabulous community gardens. I’ve got an article about community gardens and why they matter. These are places where all levels of gardeners grow together. Some of these have classes, and ‘in service’ times when a more experienced gardener will be on site.

Seed Libraries

A seed library is just what it sounds like, a place where you can “check out” a packet of seeds to grow, enjoy the fruits or flowers of your labor. Then, bring back enough seeds to replenish and hopefully increase the seed stock for the next season, for FREE! More info in the article Seed Saving Starts Now !

Our very own White Bear Lake Public Library houses the volunteer run WBL Seed Library. Join their email list at the website above to stay in the know about packing and class events

The Minnesota Horticultural Society runs the MN SEED project and the pop up Como Community Seed Library are also great resources for local seed.

Many Paths to Eating Local

If you love fresh and local food but not gardening, you can support our local farmers by signing up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and I have a blog post all about some great local CSA options in the CSA’s So Many Ways Blog Post. Or if you’re like me and grow a lot, but not everything your family eats, try shopping our very own White Bear Lake Farmers Markets, starting up the last Friday in June. I have some Farmers Market Shopping Tips for you too. If you’d like to check out more on some specific farmers, dig into my Farmers page, which links to interviews with local small farms.

For more “How To” info, you can always check out the Forks in the Dirt Blog, or Instagram feed where I sift through lots of local food info and have full blog posts on CSA’s, gardening tips, upcoming garden events and recipes for using your harvest.

Whichever way you choose to eat locally, I hope you Dig Your Food!
Michelle

Syrup in the City: Maple Sugaring DIY

March 13, 2019 / / 9 Comments
Blue sap bags attached to a maple tree.

I love seeing the metal buckets and blue bags hanging on trees around town this time of year! Those bags are the symbol of two things I love dearly: Spring + Maple Syrup!

I’ve noticed that these buckets and bags have been multiplying in recent years! I hope the trend continues, because maple sugaring is such a simple way to forage your own food, reduce your carbon footprint, add nutrients to your sweetener—all while adding another homesteading skill to your list. Bonus: there’s very little that can go wrong, it just takes some time.

Continue reading

Companion Planting Flowers for Your Vegetable Garden

March 9, 2019 / / 13 Comments

It doesn’t take rocket science to understand why we love flowers. I mean just look at these beauties! They are Nature’s purest form of eye candy!

If you’re looking for an overall guide to Companion Planting, I’ve got you covered too, with this Free 5 page Guide!

Flower Power

As I’ve grown up (well, a little anyways) and understand more of the science behind why flowers naturally create a more balanced garden, I’ve fallen head over heels all over again. They are essential for organic vegetable gardening. Plus my gardens are more colorful, fruitful and ALIVE because of these growing works of art. I mean who wouldn’t want to get a chance to work with beautiful nature to grow more and bigger veggies!

Swallowtail on a Zinnia

While planning and plotting a fresh new local garden (I’m loving my design + consult sessions!) I kept hearing myself going on and on about the importance of saving space for flowers in the garden. Turns out I’m pretty jazzed about the power of pollinators and beneficial insects in the vegetable garden. So, I figured if it was that important to gush about one on one, it was probably worth a deeper dive here 😊

All About the Annuals

I talk more about using flowers in companion planting and garden planning in the blog post Garden Dreams to Garden Goals. But honestly, just bringing in the nectar sources from any of these flowers will make your garden hum – literally! The flowers listed here can all be started by seed. I tend to direct sow them into the garden soil (follow soil temperature guidelines on seed packet) because I run out of room under my grow lights. But you can start any of the plants listed indoors to get an early bloom- aka nectar source going. And, please- take all these ideas with a pinch of salt (or garden lime- who has the tequila), because what works for one garden(er) won’t necessarily work for another. And therein lies the ephemeral magic of gardening!

Calendula

Variety: Calendula Resina, Seed Savers Exchange

This flower IS sunshine reflected. I’d grow this plant for its bright blooms alone, but the powerful medicinal properties make it (dare I say) my favorite beneficial garden flower. Calendula was one of the first flowers I grew for its herbal properties. It has taught me so much, so of course it holds a special place in my big old flower loving heart. Calendula also attracts the good guys such as ladybugs, lacewings and hoverflies that help control aphids, thrips and other destructive pests. Easy to start from seed, I have direct sown in mid-May and gotten bumper crops of petals late in the season. If you want earlier harvests start seeds indoors, though I’ve heard they are a bit tricky to transplant. I grow a swath of these among my rhubarb in the veggie patch and in another sunny corner of the yard to ensure I have enough of the powerful petals to make some of my soothing calendula salve. They seem to be deer and rabbit safe. They do tend to reseed, so plant where you’re OK with them continuing to pop up.

Cosmos

In front of my veggie garden gate

Variety: Sonata Mix

These are true show stoppers and can easily take over a LARGE portion of the garden. They run tall, 5-6 feet, and a packet of seeds can cover a good 4 square feet. That being said, I’ll always have some of these beauties in my gardens, because- well, just look at them! The color and simple yet full petal design combined with being drought tolerant makes them a keeper! They also play their part in happy garden insect play- attracting the bright green/metallic long-legged fly, (shown on white Cosmos) hover flies, bees, parasitic wasps, butterflies and even bird. The chickadees and hummingbirds frequented mine last Summer. Those beneficial bugs and birds nibble the pests (aphids, squash beetles etc) that prefer to eat my veggies.

Marigold

From the YMCA Community Gardens, growing WB Seed Library Marigolds

Varieties: French Marigold (Tagetes patula)
Mexican Marigolds (Tagetes minuta) + Lemon Gem (Tagetes tenufolia)

I’ll admit there was a time I thought I was too cool for the old school marigold. But when you plant true varieties (not the puffed up hybrids please!) they attract all the right insects and are so easy to collect seeds from, you’ll never want for color again! My favorites just might be from the White Bear Lake Seed Library (read more about the WBL Seed Library HERE). I planted these in both my home garden and the YMCA Community Gardens last Summer and they were marvelous! The kids especially loved their vibrant colors and collecting all those seeds (there’s a reason everyone had them in their gardens for centuries). Technically they produce a substance called alpha-terthienyl, a chemical that suppresses nasty nematodes and cabbage worms. Some botanists think the smell conceals other vegetable odors too, keeping more bugs further away from your precious crops! Marigolds keep my tomatoes, peppers and eggplants happy by keeping away some bad bugs!

Zinnia

Variety Pictured: Magellan Mix from Jung Seed

Zinnias deter cucumber beetles and tomato worms. They attract predatory wasps and hover flies, which eat insects that would otherwise destroy garden plants. Zinnias attract hummingbirds, which eat whiteflies before those flies can damage tomatoes, cucumbers and potatoes. They manage to do all that while bringing a striking color pop to the garden border. The colors look like you amped up the ‘color saturation’ filter every time. They *can form tidy little rows of color blasts- depending on the variety you chose. Heights range from 12 inches to 5 feet, and every color under the sun. Which also means there will be a zinnia you’ll fall for 😉 And they keep blooming into the fall here in Minnesota. A pollinator favorite, these zingers brighten the veggie patch with their own colors and their colorful visitors.

Sweet Alyssum

Variety: Carpet of Snow

Full disclosure, I’ve meant to plant this for years, but somehow last year was the first time it made it into my gardens. Tucked in along the rows of potatoes. They were pretty much teeny tiny powerhouses of pure plant magic. And as I started writing this, I realize that I once again forgot to order them… Good thing Gardens always give you another season 😉

Garden Growth

Cosmos just outside the garden gate

The concept that I can work with nature, using plant’s natural chemical reactions has captured my imagination and keeps me exploring! The practice of using trap crops (plants that draw insects to them rather than nearby vegetable plants) and companion planting (using certain plants to mutually benefit each other’s growth) is fascinating. I practice the basics both in how I plant my veggies and which flowers I plant where. But I never get too hung up on specifics, I figure it has to look good to me as much as the bugs 😉

My boys releasing a monarch we raised onto one of the zinnia borders.

As I mentioned earlier, there are as many ways to garden as there are gardens. And soil is a living breathing, changing medium to work with, different even a few feet over let alone in a different town or state. But we can sway things in our favor- and make our gardens more colorful lively places at the same time by bringing in a mix of proven flower power.

Buzzy corner of the garden! flowering herbs, zinnias, and chamomile (on ground below the pots) created a pollinator hot spot!

I’m continuing to learn new and better combinations, varieties and uses for these multi-tasking beauties.

For an easy way to ID some of the common insect visitors, check out the very visual Good Bug/Bad Bug book. Written by Jessica Walliser, I will attest that kids and adults alike enjoy being identifying bugs using this book! She also has a great podcast episode with Garden Expert, Joe Lamp’l on The Joe Gardener Show. So cool to get a glimpse of just how much is going on in our gardens!!

Mix of Zinnias in July

Everyone has their own list of favorites flowers. Maybe developed because of a friend giving you a plant, memories of grandma’s garden, or even an Instagram photo…  so tell me, what are your favorites and why??? Are you adding any flowers to your vegetable patch this season?

I’m working on a perennial pollinator guide next, so many flowers to chose from!

Ready to Dig In and get planting!
Michelle

« Older posts Newer posts »

Join Our ‘Growing’ Email List

© 2025 Forks in the Dirt

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑