We’re so ready to kick off this White Bear Lake Winter Farmers Market season. What started small has grown to be a much anticipated community-wide event each winter.

This season’s market dates are set for November 13 ^th , December 11^th and January 8^th. The markets will run 10am to 2pm outdoors, right in front of Tamarack Nature Center. Bringing together local farmers, makers and community is the driving force behind the event- which continues to evolve each year.

Last year because of Covid, we moved the event outside and you, the community, didn’t skip a beat! Local food lovers don’t seem to mind an outdoor event, and with Ramsey County Park buildings still closed, we’ll be staying outside again this year. Of course, we’re making it extra cozy, with free hot apple cider from Pine Tree Apple Orchards, and a warming fire pit courtesy of Tamarack Nature Center.  

Market Details

Shoppers will find twenty local farmers and craft food makers with fan favorites and specialty items you won’t find anywhere else. A sampling of items available include fresh microgreens, sauerkraut, scones and cookies, apples, meats, eggs, cheeses, sourdough breads, kombucha, jellies, salmon, soups, hot sauces, fermented veggies, maple syrup, freeze dried fruits and veggies, winter storage crops, croissants… and even dog treats. Whew!

Top that off with a food truck (Brick Oven Pizza Bus in Nov + Jan) and some cider by a fire, a walk in the woods around Tamarack and you’ve got a fun family outing while supporting local food and small businesses!

I’m so proud of the great partnership with Tamarack Nature Center and recently wrote them and their Teaching Gardens a love letter of sorts. If you’d like to know a little more about the Nature Center and all it has to offer (hint, I bet it is more than you think) check out my article HERE.

Local Food Love

We keep the farmers and vendors hyper local, right from the surrounding areas- except the flash frozen Alaskan Salmon, which comes straight from Matt’s fishing boat in, you guessed it, Alaska I also keep this winter market focused on foods, there are some natural crafts and green living products sprinkled in, but my passion -and the vendors’- is eating local food all year long!

Wanting to share information about eating local is why I started both Forks in the Dirt and this winter market. I truly believe that if we all ate more local and less food shipped in from across the country we could live healthier, grow the economy and make a huge impact on climate change. We get to vote with each meal! Find out more about why I eat more local year-round HERE.

I’d like to give a shout out to the “Local Food Is Essential” Campaign here in Minnesota and Wisconsin. They work to brig local food to the forefront with small changes. Take their Local Food Pledge today!

Farmers + Vendors

I’ve curated a diverse and high-quality crew of vendors and farmers again this year! Find out more about each of them from the Market Page.

THANK YOU FARMERS
+ CRAFT FOOD MAKERS!

AppleCrest Orchard

Bad Apple Dog Treats

Bamboo Switch

Bell’s Maple Syrup

Chef’s House Virtual Cooking Classes

Davis Urban Farm

Eichten’s Cheese

Fiddlehead Farm

Gilbertson Farms

Great Harvest

Hoppel Poppel Breads

KDE Farms

Kiss My Cabbage

Mhonpaj’s Garden

My Goodness! Kombucha

Perry Family Farm

Pine Tree Apple Orchard

Sailor Mercy Elderberry

Sassafras Health Foods

Wild Run Salmon

Xssant

Community Partnerships

The farmers and vendors are a huge part of why you come to shop the event, but behind the scenes are a few key community players as well! Big thanks to Tamarack Nature Center for hosting the event, and making it work both inside and out over the years. Pine Tree Apple Orchard has supported us with free hot apple cider for each event all the years- now that’s a LOT of good local cider!

The event itself began because of a community grant awarded to Michelle of Forks in the Dirt by “Bear Power” a part of Power Up, a local initiative to get families eating healthy and moving more! We’ve had community groups from the WBL Seed Library, the WBL Food Shelf, the Ramsey County Master Gardeners and the Pollinator Friendly Alliance sharing local living green information as well.

We will be following MN State and CDC Covid safety guidelines. For now this means attempting to stay socially distanced, and if unable to do so wearing a mask. Vendors will have extra precautions in place, and many of them do have pre-order options available as well!

Connections

I love this market for all the connections it facilitates! Follow along on the Facebook Event for updates, vendor and item highlights- plus there might just be a fun giveaway or two over there as well…

This season promises to be another full of local food love, community support along with a chance to get out and get together as a community during winter- even during covid. We hope to see you there!

Dig Into local food with us!

Michelle

The post Welcome to the 5th Annual White Bear Lake Winter Farmers Market! appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

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

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!

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!

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

– Michelle

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The name alone gives you a warm fuzzy feeling and I can tell you from personal experience, their greenhouse is wonderfully warm even in the depths of winter… or at least most winters.

Like so many farmers and small business owners, Theresa is always looking to the future, and decided to make a ‘sea change’ in the farm over the last winter. They switched over from Aquaponics to Hydroponics, showing just how nimble small businesses can be.

As Theresa, the main farmer at Bright Future Farms, settles into these changes, she is finding room for growth in new areas. But first – let’s take a look at Aquaponic and Hydroponic development.

A Quick History

Farmers have always been tinkerers.  And some Mayan farmers (2,000 years ago!) were farming using an intricate system of open water canals, reservoirs and filtration boxes. Other cultures have used flooding and seasonal water fluctuations to their agricultural advantage throughout the years; think rice paddies.

Flash forward to the 1970’s and Dr James Rakocy at the University of the Virgin Islands developed a commercial-scale Aquaponics system that harnesses the waste of fish to fertilize plants, all within a closed loop system.

Aquaponics or Hydroponics

The main difference between the two systems is that aquaponics grows fish within the system as a way to fertilize the plants, while hydroponics grows plants only. Both systems are soil-less, using ‘growing medium’ like perlite, grow stones, rock wool etc. More info on ways to grow in the fun video by Epic Gardnening. The systems can look quite different and there are lots of small variations.

Hydroponics can be as simple as getting nutrient filled water to flow by plant roots. But even those kinds of systems require a pump. An Aquaponics system also includes:

Rearing Tanks, Clarifier, Filter Tanks.

The water is sent through the rearing tanks, clarifier and filters then onto the hydroponic tanks to water AND feed the produce. For Theresa, if they’re not growing fish, they simply add those fertilizing nutrients into the system.

The beauty of an aquaponics system is that lots of complex natural processes happen on their own… as long as the system is set up correctly. This creates a sustainable, self-contained system that produces nutrient dense foods.

In other terms, the fish produce waste, which is converted to fertilizer for plants, the plants then filter the water that return to the fish.

‘In’ the Farm

Theresa ended up with a single, 24′ X 36′  freestanding greenhouse that has supplemental heat for our cold Minnesota winters provided by a propane furnace.

Nelson and Pade, Inc is a trusted source for Aquaponics systems, and is the Wisconsin company Theresa went through to purchase her original Aquaponics set up. While not cheap to start up, the system is quite efficient once running.

The first thing I did when I visited on that frigid February day was walk through their bio-security system which included washing your hands and walking through a foot bath of a bacterial and parasitic killing solution. This step adds to their ability to say that they’re clean from outside contaminants, and keeps things growing healthy and organically.

Tending the System

When I first explored the greenhouse, it looked a bit like a science experiment, with tubes and tanks all hooked up and going around and around. But Theresa was able to explain it simply.

Theresa checks the water quality by testing levels of ammonia, nitrates, pH level, plus checks the temperature daily. The main input to an aquaponic system is fish food. The fish eat the food and excrete waste. More than 50% of the waste produced by fish is in the form of ammonia secreted in the urine and, in small quantities, through the gills. Monitoring a few key chemical levels assures healthy fish and plants.

Sea Change

Their greenhouse now consists of a Dutch bucket drip system for tomatoes, cucumbers and sweet peppers, and a deep-water raft system for a variety of lettuces.

All produce is grown without soil or chemicals in very efficient re-circulating systems, within a controlled environment. Their current growing method is hydroponics, but the raft system is configured for both hydroponics and aquaponics.

Right now, they are adding the nutrients to the deep-water raft system. On average hydroponic systems use 10 times less water to grow food than traditional field crops. That adds up quick! 

“We may raise tilapia again, to have our aquaponics system operating, but are going to compare results of growing lettuce hydroponically before making that decision. Either method of growing produces healthy, delicious and safe food,” says Theresa. As you can see, this farmer is a scientist at heart.

Also of note, composting the unused parts of the vegetables they grow helps add to the general fertility of their outdoor farm garden.

Bright Future Farm also grows a variety of microgreens, also without soil or chemicals, that nicely accompany their other lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.

Now, more than ever, smaller farms are becoming more popular will feed more of the country. Bright Future Farms combines that small business nimbleness with water wise growing techniques to produce delicious produce – and sometimes fish! In places where water is short, hydro- and aqua- ponics will play a larger and larger roll in food production in the upcoming years.

Catch Bright Future farm at these upcoming Farmers Markets:

Cambridge Farmers Market:
Saturdays starting May 7^th 9am-1pm

Lindstrom Farmers Market:
Wednesdays, starting July 8^th 3pm-6pm

Bright Future Farm’s Future is, well – bright! Check out their website for more info.

Dig into locally grown food!
Michelle

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Say hello to the happiest Grass Fed Highland Cattle I’ve had the pleasure of hanging out with!  They are living their best lives out in their fields just north of the Twin Cities in Hugo MN on a 3rd generation family farm.

At first glance the rolling hills look like your average small family cattle farm, but then you realize there’s no barn, you see horns on the cattle and can’t find a feed trough. Welcome to KDE Farms, where they raise grass fed Highland cattle, meat and layer chickens and produce some fabulous maple syrup. You can jump right to their online shop if you can’t wait.

Walking the Fields

Visiting these down to earth farmers earlier this Summer, I fell in love with their farmland- and the way they raise their animals. These docile Scottish Highland cattle can take three years to finish off. But they balance out their keep with having a double coat that is water proof and down-like, eliminating the need for a barn. And they’ve naturally developed to thrive off of grass.

This leads this kind of farmer to maintain their land in a way that conventional farmers (usually) don’t. Because they are feeding their ‘product’ from what they grow and not what they purchase, grass fed cattle farmers blend their knowledge of raising healthy grass with raising healthy animals. And, as Brian and Roberta Ehret can attest to- that all starts with healthy land.

Farmer Brian checking the “Feed”

The Family Farm

Brian grew up on the same farmland, within a family that valued nurturing the land and the animals they raised. He was excited at the idea of coming back to farming after inheriting some of the family land. They built their home 23 years ago and brought their first cattle home 15 years ago. The Ehret’s are proud that its been a 100% grass fed operation since the beginning. 

Like many modern farmers, they both have ‘day jobs’ as well. Roberta is a Kindergarten teacher and Brian is a Solutions Architect with Phillips-Medisize. He enjoys using his physics degree in both spaces. Farmers are always asking the ‘what if’ questions like any good scientist…Brian sees his farm as a kind of lab where he gets to work with Mother Nature to provide a superior product- in a sustainable way. 

KDE is built on three interdependent ideals: Sustainability, Innovation, Stewardship.

Sustainability

Scottish Highland cattle are a more sustainable breed to work with, being able to produce well-marbled and highly-flavored meat (so says my meat loving hubby- full disclosure I don’t eat red meat) by eating from a pasture. The land that they graze on is naturally and sustainably maintained. They fertilize with manure and add some natural supplements, but the original seed wasn’t organic, so they aren’t certified organic- yet.

Chicken Tractors on the move

Both the cattle and the chickens fertilize the land as they graze, helping sustain the biodiversity in each field.  I love being able to raise our own backyard hens and have seen first hand the direct impact they make in our small closed loop system. Basically, intensive rotational grazing is when you let animals graze a small portion of the fields at a time, letting the other parts regrow for another round of munching.  This is powerful land management; the U of MN even hosts grazing schools for farmers.  Brian and Roberta hope to win a U of MN extension grant that will help them lay out a plan for “Intensive Rotational Grazing”. This kind of grazing takes into account all the hills, water sources and grass/prairie plant diversity on their land.

I love that our U of MN works with  local farmers who want to
make better use of their land and are working towards a sustainable future!

Innovation

Moving to the meat chicken part of their farm, they have been working on crafting just the right ‘chicken tractor’ to house their flock of grazing guys. Chicken tractors keep the birds safe out on fields, allowing them to move to fresh grass (and fertilize more square footage) every few days. The couple is currently finishing their last batch of broiler chickens for the year.  “We have raised 800 broilers this year,” Brian explained, a new high number thanks to another chicken tractor.

Stewardship

As we perused their land, the pride they have in the way they’ve stewarded their acres is apparent, and well deserved. They truly love their land and want it to be productive for generations to come. This has led them to build their business slowly, making sure the land can handle the amount of cattle as they grow. Brian’s upbringing within a farming family gives him the perspective of land over time, and how to keep implementing what works, and leaving behind what doesn’t.

Grass Roots Education

Brian and Roberta have loved being at local farmers markets because of the one on one time it gives them with their neighbors. “It’s a great way to introduce and educate neighbors about what we do- and why we do it,” explained Roberta. After a few years at both the Mahtomedi and Stillwater Farmers Markets they were able to begin offering a Grass Fed Beef CSA. They must have gotten their message across But still enjoy talking with customers so much that they added the Scandia Market this Summer as well.

Grass Fed cows *tend* to produce leaner meat with more antioxidants, omega-3’s, CLA, TVA, trace minerals, and vitamins according to this article and many others. Without getting into all the hormones, antibiotics and other chemicals NOT given to these animals  because of the way they are raised. Add to the equation the much lower impact on the earth and I think you’ve got a Winner Winner Beef Dinner!

How does Grass Fed Really Rate?

So let’s take a look into the Big White Cow in the room: is grass fed really better for you, the earth or the environment? Well, turns out a Washington Post writer wondered the same thing, as you can read in this well thought out ARTICLE  The article quotes Temple Grandin likening grain to cake and ice cream for cattle and how they love it, but just like us, diets shouldn’t be mostly made up of treats! Personally, I will always side with a small-scale local farmer who I can visit (yes, you can set up a time to tour the Ehret’s farm) and who knows their animals over a mass producing corporate farm.

Happy Cows

These cattle are HUGE! And I’m not going to lie, at first I was a little leery of getting too close. But farmers Brian and Roberta work hard to maintain a low stress environment for these grass guzzlers. As Brian mentioned, “The fences are really more like suggestions- they could plow through the fencing, but they don’t because we keep them happy by growing them really good grass.” Well, I for one would like to say thanks for taking such good care of the cattle that they have no need to try to break through the fences

You could see the kindness in their big brown eyes! These are well loved animals living their best lives! Since he’s got the grass fed beef part down, Brian is getting into pigs now too. They purchased 2 pregnant Mangalitsa pigs this Fall and will start offering pork in their CSA options next Spring- which I am quite excited about!

Right now, they are putting the finishing touches getting ready to take orders for their CSA options  They are ready to start taking orders now, giving you time to decide on the roasts, steaks, chops and chicken dinners you’ll cook up.

So, go ahead and Dig In, and remember you are what you eat, and you are what you eat eats too!  I’ll challenge you to ask yourself about the meat you eat…did it have a good life roaming the hills and eating what nature intended it to before making it to your table?

-Michelle

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Pick Your Own Blueberry Farms are becoming more popular and for good reason!

PYO Farms bring together the best of summer- getting to spend time in the great outdoors in a beautiful setting, with friends + family, all working towards a tasty end goal; buckets full of blueberries! This is local food bliss. Blueberry Fields of Stillwater brings a sweet mixture of this bliss to their guests each year.

**Updated article 7/10/25**

Summer took over Blueberry Fields of Stillwater in early 2022, and she is just as in love with the farm, connections to the earth, blueberries and customers as the previous owners. 

Blueberry Fields of Stillwater

As Summer explains, “I was looking to make a change and for a place where I could be more in tune with nature, while still being part of the community.  When I saw the Blueberry Fields of Stillwater property, I just knew it was where I needed to be.  The love, care, and hard work that Bev and Mike O’Connor put into the Blueberry Fields was evident; the land just sang to me.  I am so grateful that they were willing to let me carry on what they had started. They have been so helpful and supportive to me in teaching me the craft of blueberry growing hands on here at the Blueberry Fields of Stillwater.”

Same great blueberries, same ORGANIC farming practices, new smiling face. I’m in!

Is it the farm’s rolling hills and pastoral setting? Or the acres of immaculately maintained spacious rows all bursting with blueberries? Maybe it’s all the energy and love that farmers have poured into the land?

If you’ve never picked your own blueberries before no worries, they’re every bit as easy as strawberries and raspberries. You can just roll them between your fingers and the ripe ones will pretty much fall off. You can easily tell the ripe from unripe berries.

The farm has two acres of blueberries now in the seventh year of organic production. There are seven varieties to give us all a wonderful selection and extended picking season. From the first sun-sweetened Polaris berries to the late-season Superior berries, they have it planned out so you get to come and pick at your leisure. You can always check their website or phone line (651-351-0492) for the latest picking updates.

Slow Food Movement

Picking different kinds of berries offers different kinds of experiences. Blueberry picking is not as fast paced as strawberry picking. The berries are smaller, but the bushes bigger, so you can set down a stool and just loose yourself in picking. “Something just happens in these fields when they’ve got a few groups picking, voices can carry and conversations continue over rows. We also get quite a few couples on dates. Everyone slows down a bit while they’re here. That’s our hope, that this is a beautiful place to pick the best blueberries- but also that you leave a little refreshed.”

Building a Pick Your Own Blueberry Farm

Even when they are busiest on weekends during their 4 +week PYO season, there is a feeling of calm. Usually there are three ‘picking’ times on each bush. The first are usually the biggest berries, and mildly sweet. The second round produces delicious sweet berries. The third produces smaller berries but usually the sweetest. Each year is a little different though,  Mother Nature’s way of reminding us she’s still in charge!

Bev, the original blueberry farm owner, took the time to work on the soil. Increasing from 1% organic matter when they started testing in 2005 and increased it to 5% in 2018 (Most MN Soil is around 2% organic matter so this is kind of a big deal!). That organic matter helps maintain moisture, feed the plants and helps the bushes fight infections. I also think it helps these berries burst with a flavor unique to this location.

Local Food Flavor

Isn’t that why we love Pick Your Own Farms? To be able to taste the difference in these locally grown fruits verses the store bought varieties (shipped from as far as Chile in the winter and California/Florida, Maine/Michigan as the summer progresses). And one thing I’ll suggest; pick as much as you can! Blueberries freeze VERY well- just roll in a towel to get any stubborn stems off and freeze on a sheet pan, then pop into a freezer bag.

They smell amazing in the middle of winter, opening a bag of frozen berries in February brings you right back to that sunny day you picked them. I’ve opened bags of organic frozen blueberries from Costco in February and they don’t smell.  At All. I ran out of the berries we picked last summer way back in November. I am not letting that happen again!

What About Growing Your Own?

I love our couple of blueberry bushes (and the few handfuls of tasty berries we harvest from them) growing in our home garden. But they look nothing like the full, glossy leaved, ‘dripping with berries’ bushes at this farm! Blueberry Fields shares links to their favorite growing practice websites right on their website. These folks are truly passionate about blueberries, and want spread the love.

I also have two small Aronia Berry plants, another native Super Food berry. Read more about these berries and their amazing properties HERE. I love that berry bushes are a perennial form of food in my yard.

When you’re looking down over the immaculate rows of bushes at a blueberry farm you can’t help but notice all the netting! This is another reason to leave mass blueberry production to the pros. This labor-intensive practice keeps the birds out, and also why you pick only where they have lifted the netting off.

Blueberries in/on Your Bucket List

Me and my boys visited for the first time in 2017 and knew this was a place we’d be returning to. Sure enough it stays on my boys’ Summer Bucket List too. I can’t wait to get back there with them and pick all morning. Now that I know they’ve got a handwashing station and a ‘berry washing’ station, we can plan to stay a while and enjoy the ‘fruits of our labors’ (ha) under one of their well thought out shaded rest areas, the breezy top of the hill overlooking the fields would be my pick!

Did you know you can search for “Pick Your Own Blueberry Farm” on  the Minnesota Grown website? It shows 31 Blueberry PYO Farms in the state. We’re lucky that one of the very few to be growing with organic practices is also the closest to us! They’re even working on using essential oils in place of pesticides with a grant from the MN Dept. of Agriculture AGRI Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant. Just another way these farmers are staying true to their mission of creating a healthy, refreshing experience.

Berry Nutritious

Blueberries are packed full of antioxidants and other vitamins and minerals, are low in calories and have many other health benefits. Nothing quite like picking a nutritious snack right off the bush! They also taste amazing. Especially when you can eat a few sun-warmed berries sitting in the shade overlooking the beautiful fields.

Know before you go:

• There’s a discount for paying with cash or check
• Picking buckets and boxes provided
• Bring water, sunscreen and bug spray
• No pesticides are used so there may be bees in the field

• Kids are welcome, please read their Kid Tips
• Handicap Accessible bathroom on site, uneven ground
• Check their website, Facebook page or call 651-351-0492 for up to date picking info
• Earlier is better, it gets warm out there!

Blueberry Fields of Stillwater- 9450 Mendel Road Stillwater, MN 55082

I can’t wait to get back and pick buckets of blueberries at the Blueberry Farm this summer, and this time I’ll be more prepared. I hope you will be too. If you’re too far from Blueberry Fields of Stillwater to make it out there, I still want you to find a place to pick your own, closer to your home. The Minnesota Grown website can help you find your closest berry patch. Type in “Blueberries” in the product search bar.

Many people’s favorite way to eat them is warm from the sun, or just thawing after coming out of the freezer. I agree with both. I also see a blueberry cobbler in my near future! What will you make with yours?

ps- Don’t forget to pick enough to last the long haul through winter…

Dig Into Blueberry season!
Michelle

The post Organic ‘Pick Your Own’ Blueberry Farm appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

Butch and Hunter Cardinal of All Good Organics have worked hard to find their groove and they’ve really hit their stride after figuring out their unique niches.

Butch is a 5^th generation farmer – OF THE SAME LAND making his son, Hunter, the 6th generation! This family has been farming their slice of heaven at 6657 Centerville Road in Hugo since 1866. The way they have farmed has swung the pendulum over their 152 years of land stewardship. “Everything was organic back when my dad was born- but then, by the 40’s chemical fertilizers and pesticides showed up. And these guys were of the mind that if a little is good, more is better. When my dad came home from WW2 it was all about the chemicals; they meant less weeding,” but it took over 50 years for most farmers to figure out that the chemicals had some major downsides.

Butch knew what we could grow as a conventional grower with the pesticides and herbicides, but he’s worked with them and didn’t want them around-. “I mean, just read the labels and directions on some of them, if I need to put on full suits and respirators to apply, I don’t want that stuff sticking around in my soil or my food.”

So when his dad asked him to help with some pumpkins years ago, he countered with wanting to grow organic vegetables too. They’d been growing conventional hay for years prior.

So, Butch brought the farm back to organic practices, and they’ve been certified since 2010. By USDA NOP (National Organic Program) the transition period is three years. Now they plant 25 acres of vegetables, many started in the 1,800 square foot greenhouse. Like most organic farms, they’ve got a ‘full circle’ approach, using each resource in many ways, and always keeping their eyes open for opportunities.

Even their little red Farm Store has a great back story. The first year they were growing organic veggies they were selling form a tent (along with a short-lived attempt to sell at farmers markets). But then the tent blew away. Next they built a shed, but outgrew that in a season. So, in 2012 they decided to ‘Go Big and Stay Home’ and built their Farm Store with coolers, freezers and a self-serve system that just feels like the good old days. Even in the depths of a Minnesota winter they are open 9-5 so you can grab a bag of fresh picked spinach, lettuces or kale, carrots, a pack of frozen squash, pickles, preserves or dried spices- all right from the farm. They work with other local farmers to bring in eggs and honey.

Some of the happy chickens who will roam free this summer!

Besides growing vegetables from Asparagus to Zucchini, they also raise meat chickens and hogs each season. This year they got 225 ‘Cornish Cross’ hatchlings which were already hanging out in the fresh air, scratching for bugs and munching grass when I was visiting. They’ve almost completed a new mobile chicken coop, called a ‘chicken tractor’ that will be ready to take the chicks into the fields any day now. He’s also waiting to pick up his hogs until the season moves ahead a little.

Preserves round out the veggies over the Winter in the farm store.

Butch estimates they are about 3 weeks behind for the season already. Last year they were planting potatoes out in mid-April, and already had the brassicas and onions in the ground. When I visited last week, everything was still on hold in the greenhouse thanks to that late April snowstorm.

In case you’re in the same boat, I asked Butch to give us his tips on planting overgrown tomato starts  (like mine are since they’ve been waiting under the grow lights much to long!

The All Good Organics greenhouse is in year-round production for the farm. They keep some hardy crops rolling from fall into winter, and start new lettuces, kale, green onions, radishes and spinach mid-February into March. “I’m lucky my dad had a thing for collecting 5-gallon buckets,” Butch joked, “because we really use a ton of them now.” By planting in bigger buckets rather than small starter flats they can let the plants keep growing without the transplant shock, it also saves a lot of labor by not having to take the time repotting each plant.

Butch has had a few years to work on streamlining his processes. He’s also got the perfect outlook for a farmer, “Something fails every year, but I don’t let that bother me because each year something turns out to be a big success too.” He’s able to take a step back and see the way nature balances things out. This year, Butch is “trying” – (please visualize his air quotes) parsnips- again. He’s pretty sure he’ll get them to grow like crazy… some season .

He definitely doesn’t let a little failure slow him down. Like with Ladybugs. Butch sets free hundreds of ladybugs in his greenhouse to keep the aphids under control. He’d been searching for a good supplier and finally found a great resource through eBay for happy healthy ladybugs that won’t break the bank and ships for free.

You too can search eBay for “live lady bugs” and go organic like Butch in this video…

More Lady Bugs = Less Aphids

Like all good farmers, Butch loves planting and loves his land, “I know where every rock is, especially the ones that shake the tractors.” His joy for farming his way manifests itself as a delicious meal on your table. That love of farming was passed down from his father, who at 91 years old, was getting the roto tiller attachment ready to start opening up some fields as I spoke with Butch. Of course Butch was just as anxious to get out there, he’s got a lot of people counting on their CSAs for the season- there are a few left if you want to SIGN UP FOR THE ALL GOOD ORGANICS CSA.

For Butch and his farming family all the work, all the risks, all the failures and successes add up to “All Good”.

It’s time to let the professionals get to work with their tractors, I’m heading back out to get my fork in the dirt.

Keep Digging In!

Michelle

The post It’s All Good: Organics appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

This summer is growing by fast. Even with Fall right around the corner, if you’re like our family we plan on squeezing every last drop of summer out of the rest of this Summer. And this weekend is ripe with opportunity to do just that, by exploring local farms, flavors and vineyards and learning more about our pollinators. Let’s jump right in, the sun is set to shine just in time for these weekend farm and foodie events!

Friday August 18th

Great Table Dinner at the Dancing Dragonfly Winery

Enjoy the vineyard like never before with a unique and memorable al fresco dining experience, while mingling with fellow wine lovers at our large, family-style table. A 3-course dinner, featuring locally sourced foods from the St. Croix Valley region. The menu includes: Wilted Spinach Salad with Bacon, Top Sirloin with Garlic Crusted Portobello Mushrooms, Champagne Chicken Breast, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Vegetables, and dessert. The website also mentioned dressing in layers, which was the first time I got legitimately excited for Fall. You can also add on wine pairings (a glass chosen for each of the three courses) for $20. Our regular lineup of wine also available. Simply put this sounds like heaven.

Details: Friday, 6pm-8pm. $55 in advance Registration Link.
Dancing Dragonfly Winery 2013 120^th Avenue, Saint Croix Falls, WI 54024

Saturday,  August 19^th

Cheese & Wine Festival at Dancing Dragonfly Winery

Enjoy sampling premium cheeses and other food goodies from a variety of local vendors while enjoying your favorite glass of wine. Live music from Benny Weinback Trio, 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m, and David Ybarra and the Northside Dukes, 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and make it a day! All this surrounded by the beauty of this vineyard tucked into the St. Croix Valley…yes please!

Details: 11am-7pm. Free and open to the public,
Dancing Dragonfly Winery 2013 120^th Avenue, Saint Croix Falls, WI 54024

Breakfast on the Farm at Gale Woods Farm

Get your breakfast straight from the source. Enjoy a farm-fresh breakfast made from locally grown foods and catered by Dakota Junction. Menu includes Scrambled eggs, sausages, cheesy hash browns, zucchini bread, cinnamon rolls and more!  Also, listen to live music, visit the barn, meet the animals and explore the gardens. Sounds like a dream come true for more than a few kids I know! Children 17 and under must be accompanied by a registered adult. Reservations recommended. Sign up at their Website.

Details: 8:30-11am. Reservations- 11 years+ $15, 2-10 $8, under 2 free.
Gale woods Farm, 7210 County Rd 110 W, Minnetrista, MN 55364

And…if the breakfast reservations get sold out, there’s another fun kid friendly option at the same farm…

Saturday Mornings on the Farm at Gale Woods Farm

Same activities as above without the breakfast. A great way to participate in seasonal farm activities, and get your hands a little dirty!

Details: $5 reservations, under 2 free. Gale Woods Farm Facebook Page
Gale woods Farm, 7210 County Rd 110 W, Minnetrista, MN 55364

Kowalski’ Markets “Joy of Local Food” Event

All Eleven Kowalski’s Market locations are showcasing different local suppliers throughout the day. My local market, The White Bear Lake Market, will be featuring over 20 different local producers including:  Salad Girl Dressings, Bolton Bee’s Honey, Grand Ol Creamery, New Bohemia Sausages and Unteidt Farms corn with K-Hand Rolled Butter, so much yum in one place! This is going to be a feast of local flavors. All this sampling will lead to new discoveries- I can’t wait! “We are excited to give the limelight to our amazing local partners on Saturday, they deserve it and we’re ready to share their good food with you,” said the White Bear Lake Market Assistant Store & Grocery Manager, Aaron Gallagher. I’m ready for some new local flavors, how about you!?!

Details: Saturday, 11am-4pm, All Market locations

Borner Farm Project Classes:

The Borner Farm Project is the culmination of blending agriculture with community and watching those seeds take root. They also have pizza nights, and other classes offered throughout the year.

Brick Oven Basics: Building and Baking Class  Saturday, 9am-5:30, $90
Learning how to build and bake on your own Brick oven is a dream of ours, talk about eating local! You can take your dream one step closer to reality by signing up for this class! Curious about baking wood-fired pizza and bread in your backyard, but not ready to commit to permanent oven construction? Want to find a cheaper alternative to a prefabricated oven? Join us and learn how to build a portable stacked-brick oven from loose bricks. After the oven is built, we will fire it up and learn how to make dough for flatbread, pizza, and artisan bread. Then we will bake, eat, and have a good time!

Gut Healing Cooking Class  Saturday, 10am – 12:30pm, $30

This class will focus on meal planning for GAPS and Grain-Free Sugar-Free Meals: Broths, Entrees, Side Dishes, and More”. Even though this is a specific list, the applications to all kinds of cooking are endless- and SO healthful! Join instructor Aileen Abliss to taste and learn how delicious nourishing food effectively treats depression, bi-polar, autism, ADHD/ADD, anxiety, autoimmune diseases, digestive disorders, arthritis, and other mental and physical conditions.

To register for either of the above classes, please email bornerfarmproject@gmail.com and include the following informa

tion: Name, number of people who are signing up, which class/es you would like to take, your email address, and your phone number.
Details: Registration Link
Borner Farm Project, 1266 Walnut St, Prescott, WI

Sunday, August 20th

Up Close with Pollinators at Steady Hand Farm

This is a unique experience where kids and parents can learn about beekeeping from an expert- Erin’s even got child sized bee suits! Last year about 15 kids and their parents attended and learned about pollinators, their habits in the hive and wider world, current ecological concerns facing them- all with lots of fun adding to the buzz. Same game plan for this year’s event. It gets real when getting into those bee suits and exploring the hives on Steady Hand Farm with Erin Rupp. Erin “founded Pollinate Minnesota in 2015, to connect with students and teachers of all ages to live honey bees and the science, policy and media story of pollinator decline,” straight from the Pollinate Minnesota website. Also, Steady Hand Farm looks like quit the place to enjoy!

Details: Register for the fun at Steady Hand Farm, 1231 135th Street, Amery, WI 54001

Just in case that wasn’t enough…Sociable Ciderwerks is holding a NE Brewers Block Party and Red Barn Pizza Farm has a Pizza Night this weekend as well; but since I covered them in earlier weekend spreads, I thought I’d give more space to the newbies!

So many options… Ohh August, you’re always worth the wait!

Dig In and Enjoy!
Michelle

The post Forks’ Weekend Spread: August appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

Ron, Grace, Gina & Karin Costa in front of a CSA delivery van. Photo Credit Paul Dols

Costa’s is that rare breed of medium size family farm that fills up its community with both good food and good will.

*Full Disclosure: I received two vine ripened tomatoes for writing this article.
They were totally worth it  

Yes. Farmers are busy. CSA providers are busy. Roadside Farm Stand operators are busy. Vegetable wholesalers are busy. Greenhouse flower growers are busy. So, one family that runs a business including all of these; yes, you could say they’re BUSY! And yet Karin Costa can make you feel like you’re the only person at a bustling Farmer’s Market as she talks with you about corn, the weather, or you kids- sometimes all those points blended into one seamless sentence.

Karin helping my boys pick out their dinner.

This family fully understands that they get to stay busy precisely because they pay attention to their customers, and all those farming details. From seed, to soil; from picking crews practicing food safety (they are USDA Food Safety Certified for the last 6 years) to making those personal connections at market. You can tell they love what they do- not just because Ron took on the farm for a 3rd generation, but because they smile even when no one is looking.

Grace Costa working their Farmstand with a smile.

As their website says:

 “We firmly believe in local agriculture because it supports local farmers who care about the impact of their farming and because it helps support local economies. We run our entire business under the mindset “From Our Field to Your Fork” because that’s the way food is supposed to work.”

Earlier in May when the crops were just coming in, greenhouses in the background.

Since they moved the family farm from Little Canada to their current location in Grant back in 1990, they’ve kept innovating and adding ways to serve their community. My favorite (hi)story was how their flower business began; they first started growing a few hanging baskets, just because they had unused space above the flats of vegetables in the greenhouse. That first year they sold out of the baskets, so they added more… and more as the years went on. Constantly searching out ways to engage with their local customers lead to them adding the CSA branch of their business a few years ago.

Their Roots Run Deep
The Costa family has been selling at the St. Paul Farmer’s Markets since it was at its original location, over 70 years ago; back before the ‘middle men’ wholesale companies were so prevalent and grocers would buy direct from farmers. They’ve been selling  at the White Bear Lake Farmer’s Markets for over 25 years.

Their commitment to getting you the freshest food is apparent in all the ways they’ve made it easy to buy from them. Being lots of places to sell to the public might seem like a no-brainer, but it takes a lot of planning, extra trucks, more staff and lots of set up and tear down to make it to all these farmer’s markets. They also see less produce get onto local table through markets than wholesale, but they value the face to face connections.

Here’s the Costa Farm & Greenhouse Summer 2017 Lineup

Farmstand at their Farm, 9411 Dellwood Rd in Grant MN:
Open Daily now – Mid-September. 9:30am- 6:30pm.

Farmer’s markets: Wednesdays- Aldrich Arena
Fridays- White Bear Lake & St. Thomas Moore
Saturdays-  St. Paul Downtown & Mahtomedi.
Full Listing of times and locations HERE .

Oakdale HyVee Display featuring Costa Produce

Even the JW Marriot restaurant, Cedar & Stone,  lists them as one of their Favored Local Farms!

A few steps closer to their farm is the Oakdale HyVee, which featured them as a featured local farmer.

 CSA: This season they have close to 500 Community Supported Agriculture Shares going out to families across the metro. Get on their email list now to ensure a spot on next summer’s list. info@costafarm.com

 

View of May row crops from Karin’s Cart.

You can also always contact them via email, or their Facebook page, or subscribe to their blog. They are easy to connect with, and ready to show you how the details add up to delicious local food.

While riding around the farm on “Karin’s Cart” I saw first-hand how obsessed they are with the details.

They get the soil tested at least three times a year to understand exactly how to best feed the crops they’re growing down to the row. The land they farm on in Grant, MN is sandy and doesn’t hold nutrients well, so they feed (fertilize) their crops as needed. Karin describes their farming philosophy as responsible and innovative, but not chasing after organic.

Being able to build relationships with the people who buy their food, through CSA newsletters and emails and meeting people at markets, “we hope to build a trust with them, that while we do spray to keep the worms out of our corn, we do so with non-neonicotinoids and as sparingly as possible,” explained Karin. I can attest to the fact that there are weeds (sometimes big enough to decrease crop yield) that were not sprayed, and plenty of dragonflies, butterflies and birds flying around the fields as we meandered through.

I also saw rows of black plastic mulch; a relatively new farming innovation that keeps weeds down, and greatly reduces the need for irrigation. It also requires specialized equipment to lay the plastic and the drip line to water underneath it, and a specialized planter. It was a large investment a few years ago, but Karin is happy with being able to use less water, less chemicals, and less tractor time. Another bonus is the early spring growth boost the crops receive because the black plastic heats up the earth quicker. Like all things there are positives and negatives to this system. Costa’s is currently looking into recycling the agricultural plastics they use. The recycling of these plastics is an upcoming and exciting opportunity to close this loop in food production.

I have used this thick black plastic in my backyard garden to heat up the soil in the spring, and in another area to kill weeds by leaving it pinned down all summer long. My small scale and ability to reuse the same plastic again and again differs greatly from market farms- even though it’s a petroleum based product, it has its place in growing food for the big guys and for many backyard gardens.

Early May, before the summer squash went completely bonkers.

Karin cheers on us home vegetable gardeners and loves how many more people are growing their own produce. She also knows, from trial and error, that what works for the home gardener doesn’t always work for a large-scale farm. From which varieties of vegetables will hold up getting to market, and what techniques are used to grow them.

When you’re farming around 100 acres of vegetables, much without irrigation, “you need to give the investment of seed and land the best chance at getting to market and feeding America- feeding your neighbors,” Karin said.

Eggplant flowers are just so darn pretty.

Costa’s feeds many of us shopping at Twin Cities Metro grocery stores through their relationships with fifteen produce wholesale companies. A large part of Ron’s responsibility (apart from the hands-on farming) is making connections with those companies to sell the large amounts of corn, kale, beans, tomatoes and bell peppers that ripen and only have a few days to go from just picked to past their prime.

I learned so much about our local food system listening to Karin explain the steps from seed to table. There are single use boxes to ship all produce purchased wholesale, delivery costs, what to do when a wholesaler rejects a shipment of very perishable produce etc. No matter the scale farming is a risky business!

They make efforts to see that as much produce as possible feeds neighbors, even if it gets rejected by wholesalers; for too much size variation, too curvy, too small or too big. (Remember that not all tomatoes come out perfectly round and uniformly red the next time you peruse a tomato display in January.) When Costa’s has a surplus or an unexpected rejection, they give generously to Second Harvest Heartland, a total of 1,125 lbs of produce in 2016! They nurture an ongoing relationship with the St. Jude’s Catholic Church FoodShelf. They also have a growing relationship with Habitat for Humanity; where they donate their unsold flowering annuals to the program, giving newly moved into houses some added curb appeal.

So whether Ron is planning the field layout, or Karin is getting the greenhouse up and running for the season- or either/both of the girls are working in the farm stand- this family is all in on farming for your family.

Grilled Corn as the Star of Summer Dinner

And trust me when I say their corn is scrumptious no matter how you prepare it- but my new favorite way is to remove husks, butter and salt it, and grill it on a HOT grill for a few minutes, letting the sugars from the kernels help caramelize the corn. Now, if that doesn’t scream summertime, I don’t know what does.

Dig In to all the fresh veggies Costa’s has to offer! Consider canning, or freezing some of this locally grown goodness for the winter too. Nothing beats a stockpile of food preserved at its peak

Michelle

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