Seeds and centuries of gardening knowledge feed a community at Dream of Wild Health farm.  

Inspired by the people it serves and centuries of gardening knowledge, Dream of Wild Health embodies working with nature. One of the oldest, continually operating Native American nonprofits in the Twin Cities, Dream of Wild Health’s intertribal working and teaching farm brings together the best of seed saving, Earth-focused farming practices and youth development. In short, this farm is flourishing.

“We are working to repair the health of our relatives through food,” says Neely Snyder, St. Croix Ojibwe tribal member and executive director of Dream of Wild Health. “We believe food is medicine. This starts with our young ones, so they understand that nutrition is vital to our overall health.

“Our families wanted to reclaim their traditional relationship with the Earth, which is how the organization began,” Snyder says. “We are working to restore the health and well-being of our community through increased access to the foods that we grow.”

Farm of the Future, Because of the Past

Together they’re living out this mission on their farm in Hugo, just north of the Twin Cities. The farm welcomes native youth and volunteers of all backgrounds to dig into the process of growing food with nature. Visitors are reminded that we are all part of nature, not separate from it; that we eat because of the gifts of the earth.

As gardeners, we recognize nature for the teacher it is. That practice of paying attention is at the heart of how the farm operates. Jessika Greendeer, a Ho-Chunk Nation tribal member and a Deer Clan member, was their seed keeper and farm manager for four seasons. Greendeer instilled the practice of treating seeds as relatives while listening to the land for where and what to plant. This rich knowledge base also explains why many gardeners are paying closer attention to Indigenous farming and gardening practices.

Depending on when you visit the farm, you could see swaths of pollinator habitat (so many sunflowers!) in bloom, hear the insects at work, smell the lingering smoke of the morning prayer fire or feel ice-cold water up to your elbows as you help wash freshly harvested vegetables. This is like other small-scale farms—with a few distinct differences.

DWH is a nonprofit focused on teaching the next generation to respect the land and farm it well. Currently, it teaches these values through youth programs like Garden Warriors, Cora’s Kids, Youth Leaders and an on-farm internship.

Dream Beginnings

The organization began in 1986 as an Indigenous outreach program called Peta Wakan Tipi. The focus on foods and medicines emerged in 1998 in response to resident requests. A gift of an Indigenous seed keeper’s lifelong seed collection in 2000 created a tangible beginning point for the farming operation. DWH purchased its first 10 acres of farmland in 2004. The organization has farmed the land ever since, adding crops and volunteers along the way.

In 2020, DWH added 20 acres just down the road from the existing farm, which provides space to grow more food, while apprenticing Indigenous farmers on-site. Plans for the newly acquired land include an orchard, a processing and packing building plus a space for the community to gather.

Beyond Organic

The greenhouse is where the season begins and where the harvests dry or cure. Fields nearest to the greenhouse are rotationally planted in market crops like Indigenous varieties of corn, squash, herbs and greens. A recently added moveable high tunnel extends the harvests. DWH grows with “regenerative farming practices” that often go beyond organic. These practices include leaving the land fallow in between cropping and growing cover crops to restore nutrients and balance to the soil. Another notable practice is having crews of volunteer gleaners harvest the last of crops and fruits, keeping the total farm waste down to only 20 pounds. Astonishing, given that the average American wastes over 200 pounds of food per year.

Integral to the farm’s operations are the swaths of pollinator plantings. You’ll also find medicinal herbs and dozens of berry bushes, plus fruit and nut trees interplanted amid the fields as a way to mitigate disease and increase pollination. The farmers have worked to regenerate not only the seed stock but the soils they grow in as well. Greendeer urged gardeners to think before they dig, saying, “Let your intuition guide you, and consider what your methods do to the Earth that provides for you.”

Saving Seeds and Knowledge

Seeds are seen as relatives to Indigenous growers, not commodities. But seeds were separated from their Native American families. Indigenous seed keepers, like Greendeer, have emerged over the last decade to find and regrow those ancestral seeds. Getting those seeds back into the hands of their original families is a process known as “Seed Rematriation.” She recommends that those interested in purchasing and growing Indigenous seeds buy from Seed Savers Exchange in Iowa.

For those ready to start saving their own seeds, Greendeer suggests starting with beans. “They’re one of the easiest and most rewarding seeds to save,” she says. To save bean seeds, wait until the pod dries in fall and harvest. There is a less than 1 percent chance that the seed will be cross-pollinated. This happens only when a native bee chews through a bean flower to access pollen. “Seeds tend to stay true to type,” she says, adding that after seven years of saving and regrowing a type of seed, the seed is considered your own variety. You could even rename it if you chose to.

For more information, look into my article on Seed Saving for the Home Gardener

Sharing Local Flavor

As vegetable gardeners know, growing food is one thing, making it into dishes people love is another. Part of the mission of DWH is to bring Indigenous foods to their communities and the Twin Cities at large, and DWH has been part of a surge in interest in Indigenous foods and restaurants, supplying produce and working with local chefs. “Our vision for a healthier and stronger community means getting Indigenous foods into the mouths of our people,” says Snyder.

In addition to selling produce at the Midtown Farmers’ Market and the Four Sisters Farmers’ Market, DWH offers a food share program similar to community-supported agriculture shares. Sean Sherman, chef, DWH board member and author of The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen purchases produce from Dream of Wild Health for use in his Minnepolis-based, James Beard Award Winning restaurant, Owamni.

Dream of Wild Health also offers volunteer and educational opportunities. Attending talks, classes and volunteer days at the farm has made me a better gardener. It is inspiring to see how food can be grown on a large scale without the use of chemicals. The relationships between the soil and the endemic plants and animals remain at the core of the farm’s operations as it continues to grow. We can all benefit from cultivating a deeper respect for the soil and remembering that we are gardening as part of nature, not separate from it.

Resources

Buffalo Bird Woman’s Garden (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1987) by Gilbert L. Wilson is a compilation of Hidatsa gardening techniques.

Braiding Sweetgrass (Milkweed Editions, 2013) by Robin Wall Kimmerer examines modern sustainability efforts through a traditional Indigenous lens. Kimmerer dives into how today’s botany is braided together with traditional teachings.

Get Involved!

Visit dreamofwildhealth.org for more information on ways to increase your native plant and medicinal herb knowledge. You can also volunteer for Farm Fridays, a chance to work on the farm.

Dig Into Indigenous Foods,
Michelle

Copyright 2021, Michelle Bruhn. Reprinted courtesy of Northern Gardener magazine, 1935 West County Rd. B2, Suite 125, Roseville, MN 55113.

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

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

The Setting

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

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

I took the opportunity to meander through a few of the gardens before the event began. I visited the Home Demonstration garden displays, spending lots of time in the Fruit + Vegetable and Herb Gardens. The Arb is such a treasure, and a beautiful example of community coming together.

The event was another example of communities coming together.

The Farmers

CommonGround is an organization of women in agriculture from across Minnesota who volunteer their time to share information about food and farming. Three Minnesota Farm women were there to share stories and facts from their farms with us. The Organization CommonGround was developed by farmers of two national checkoff programs, the National Corn Growers Association and the United Soybean Board. “CommonGround’s goal is to share personal experiences, as well as science and research, to help sort through the myths and misinformation surrounding food and farming,” as stated on their website. It was good to have faces behind the corn, soybean and cattle operations you see on the news.

31% of Minnesota farmers are women, nationally the average is 36%.

The Moms

Twin Cities Mom Collective had some of their own volunteers on hand, and invited other local moms involved in the local food, gardening and farming scene to attend. As moms we have limited resources and have to make efficient food choices while still keeping meals (and all those snacks) fun and healthy. I think the main question all the moms gathered at this event was basically, “How do we balance convenience with quality”?

What I learned

The moms at the event leaned towards organic and healthy foods for their families. The farmers, all conventional, kept the dialogue open and honest. They explained why they farmed conventionally and like any business, that they have to hit a bottom line.

I’m a lover of local food and all it can do for the earth and the economy. Still, local grocery stores carry peppers from Canada and California instead of Minnesota grown produce even in the height of local harvests. As for why, the basic answers I got from the farmers boiled down to supply and demand. That was also their response when I asked about if/how they were looking to move towards more organic farming practices.

By interviewing farmers over the years, I’ve come to know and love the deeply resilient, hardworking and independent personalities of the farmers and their families. Farmers, whether first generation or fifth, are tied to their land in ways most of us can’t fully understand.

And as much as I want us all to eat from local farms, as a country, that’s not how we operate. There are no physical difference between corporate and family farms, (just a label we throw around). But they do have different connotations! Even the smallest family farms are likely ‘incorporated’ as a business. However, the more land you farm the more you tend to farm it “Conventionally” or “Industrially.” This increase in acreage tends to be where farms switch over to round-up ready crops and pesticides, instead of organic practices. 

Seventeen million acres are in some way certified organic (USDA farmers Survey Results 2019). Yet, only a small percentage of the top U.S. field crops (corn 0.3% and soybeans 0.2% and wheat 0.6%) were grown at certified organic farms.

From the Farm

The cattle farmer, Katie, is an Ag Advocate in other ways as well, having been to the US Capitol to talk Agriculture a few years back. Katie spoke of their farm’s advances in adding native plant strips, which help pollinators. Adding strips like these also help with water run-off, enabling them to earn a “Water Quality Plan” certificate.

All the farmers talked about how federally funded programs can be difficult to navigate. They work closely with their local farm extension offices, just like we would hire an accountant to file taxes.

Krista and Lauren, the other two farmers at the event, grow conventional corn and soybean crops. They grow on a large scale and sell on the commodity market- a part of the “Farm to Table” process that we as consumers don’t often think about.

They were explaining that they cover crop, (see my blog on cover cropping for home gardeners) a well-documented way to increase soil life and overall soil health. But I was nonplussed when they added that they routinely spray the cover crop with a pesticide to kill it. There are other ways to ‘terminate’ or kill cover crops. Either tilling into the soil or ‘crimping’ in order for the next crop to grow in place are in practice.  

Take Home

I saw women doing the best they could with the systems they were in. I would urge us all to remember we vote three times a day with each meal. You have the power to make food system changes.

We can keep growing the market for local, organic food by making more sustainable food choices ourselves. The farmers will respond. Maybe slower than we want, and with much federally funded confusion. But they will respond. Farmers in general tend to be early adopters of new technology and practices- let’s encourage them while understanding the difficulties of their working environment. When we see farms as families AND businesses, we’ll be a step closer to lasting change.

I hope this has encouraged you to think a little deeper about your food and the farmers that grow it. If you have questions, please ask away!

Keep Digging In,

Michelle

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Shop Local, Eat Local + Healthy!

We can all use a little health boost after the Holidays, right! Bonus if we’re feasting on food grown close to home. Yes, even in January Minnesotan’s can enjoy local food. Like fresh greens, locally and humanely raised meats, fresh eggs and cheese- along with local honey, storage vegetable crops, breads, soups, and our furthest sourced food: wild Alaskan caught salmon!

Thanks to our neighbor farmers using high tunnels, greenhouses and indoor lights we can enjoy fresh food through the Winter. We’ll also have a wide variety of canned and frozen produce, jams and herbal products available. We welcome the “Brick Oven Bus” food truck and Platense handmade Empanadas to tide you over while shopping.

January Gift Basket Giveaway!!

Vendors have come together to offer an amazing assortment of local love- Register to win the day of. Details HERE!

Community Driven Market

This market is a true community driven event, bringing together many local community organizations. Pine Tree Apple Orchard donates free Cider tastings, which the White Bear Area Foodshelf volunteers serve up.

Our own White Bear Lake Seed Library will be sharing seed saving ans starting information. Ramsey County Master Gardeners will be onsite answering gardening questions and giving out free “table top” organics recycling kits. The Pollinator Friendly Alliance will have info on how to help our wild pollinators! Tamarack Nature Center will be sampling their honey and maple syrup and have a take home “seed art” project.

The coordinator of the market, Michelle Bruhn, also runs Forks in the Dirt and will be sharing some vegetable garden planning techniques. You can also register to WIN a One Hour “Veggie Garden Planning Session” with Michelle right HERE.

January Market Vendors

All Good Organics: variety of fall and winter vegetables, spices, sauerkraut.

Bell’s Maple Syrup: Pure Maple Syrup tapped from Sugar Maples in Cushing, MN.

Dahl Hobbie Farm:  Raw honey, honey-based 12 spice cough soothing formula, jams.

Eichtens Cheese & Bison:  variety of locally sourced cheeses, sausages and wild rice.

Gilbertson Farm: humanely raised beef and pork, chicken and eggs.

Great Harvest: yeast breads, rolls, scones, cookies and scruffins.

Hart & Soul Herbal: quality controlled, naturally sustainable herbal products.

Ingredients Cafe: scratch made soups and handmade gnocchi to go.

Platense: Tasty Argentinian handmade frosted nuts, popcorn + serving ready to eat Empanadas.

Morsels: Handmade granola bars + bites, cookies, cupcakes and caramels

Sailor Mercy: Hand crafted batches of immune boosting Elderberry Syrup.

Sassafras Health Foods: Promoting Healthy Living as a way of life with supplements and other whole food based items.

Unity Farms:  A variety of popping corn, spices and cold processed soaps.

Weeds Greens: High quality and huge variety of locally grown microgreens.

Wild Run Salmon: Wild caught Alaskan Salmon sold by the fisherman.

As market coordinator, my mission is to help us all make healthier, more sustainable food choices. Our choices result in healthier lives for us and our planet! Follow the WBL  Winter Market Facebook Event Page for up to date information and specials. Full vendor and community table list on Forks in the Dirt on the WBL Market page.

*Don’t forget to bring Cash as not all vendors take cards*

Dig Into the New Year with me and our local growers and vendors!

Michelle

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We can’t wait for you to Shop Local + Eat Local with us at the December 8th White Bear Lake Winter Farmers Market! There are so many delicious gifts waiting to be found… We’ve curated the best local food growers and makers to give you a chance to do lots of your holiday shopping in one place! Don’t forget to fill your own Holiday tables with local foods too!

We all know receiving a consumable gift is the best…so giving them is the easy choice!

Extras for the Holiday Market

• Ramsey County Recycles will be giving away FREE REUSABLE BAGS to the first 100 shoppers!
• Chomp, the BearPower Carrot Mascot will be on site for photos from 9-10!
• Fresh Roasted Hot Coffee from Ox & Crow Coffeehouse

Don’t forget to Enter to Win this Locally loaded Gift Basket ~ The December Market Giveaway!

Entering to win here will also start your monthly email membership with Forks in the Dirt!

Meet the December Farmers and Makers 

All Good Organics:   With their own Farm Store on their farm in Lino Lakes, Butch and Kris will have a wide variety of farm fresh produce. Some of their offerings include greenhouse grown lettuces, full variety of fall/winter vegetables, frozen summer vegetables, homemade canned items (best sauerkraut!) and farm made spice blends! I visited with them last spring and got a great tour of the farm! 

Dahl Hobbie Farm:  Susan is known for her jellies, jams, raw honey and her honey-based 12 spice cough soothing formula. She’ll also be bringing some specialty chutney.

Eichtens Cheese & Bison: Our closest cheese producers are bringing a large variety of locally sourced and crafted cheeses. They offer some of their summer sausage and MN Wild rice as well. They’ll also have gift boxes available. My new favorite is the herbed gouda, it simply makes everything better.

Gilbertson Farm: Jessy brings a well rounded selection of humanely raised beef and pork, chicken, DUCK,  eggs. They sell a variety of cuts and blends. We love their pork sausage. They make a mean Wild Rice Brat- and their pork chops cook up tender and with so much more flavor than anything store bought. Plus the animals all had a great life!

Great Harvest Sharing their amazing Breads!

Great Harvest: If you’ve been to the WBL Summer Farmers market you’ll remember these breads- and likely Sheldon the happy purveyor of so many samples They specialize in yeast breads. They’ll bring breads, rolls, scones, cookies. Their monster cookies are legendary- their scones are my favorite!

Green Bros Micros: The Green brothers, really- Brandon and Nick Green recognized the benefits of urban farming and took the plunge to start growing micros as a delicious, nutritious addition to your diet. Fresh and local GREENS in our MN winters are such a treat!

Hart & Soul Herbal: Vanessa Hart crafts an all natural line of apothecary healing and aromatherapy products. Using the fewest steps between God and consumption, these high-quality-controlled naturally-sustainable unrefined products are made in small batches in White Bear Lake.

Sigrid of Hoppel Poppel sharing her German sourdough style breads

Hoppel Poppel Breads:  Sigrid shares her German roots through baking amazing sourdough breads and pastries. Her caramel rolls alone are worth a visit to the market. Some of her heavily seeded loaves are a meal in themselves. She’ll bring a variety of European style breads and pastries.

Ingredients Cafe: A White Bear favorite, the chefs at Ingredients are whipping up some scratch made soups to make your at home weeknight dinners simple and delicious. **NEW ITEM: Hand made Gnocchi at the December market** A special shout out to Ben Pratt, owner of Ingredients for volunteering his time to cook for the Harvest Party at the YMCA this Summer!

Ox & Crow Coffeehouse: Mara at Ox & Crow has created a wonderful coffeehouse in the Mahtomedi.. We’re looking forward to having her locally roasted specialty coffee beans and house made chai teas served hot. She’ll also be bringing

Platense: Vanessa brings us a taste of Argentina right here in Minnesota! She uses authentic family recipes for traditional frosted nuts from Argentina. The flavors might not be local but they are locally well-loved!

Mark and Linda of Suzi Q’s Dang Good Western Dressing!

Suzi Q Western Dressing:  “Dang Good” Western Dressing brought to you by Linda (Suzy Q) and (Cowboy) Mark from right in town. They had their first Summer selling their dressing at the WBL Summer market, and it was such a hit they’re bringing it to the Winter market too!

Unity Farm: Moses of Unity Farm is an emerging farmer with a bumper crop of popcorn, tomatoes and peppers. He’ll be sharing his dried, canned and blended produce. Moses is a farmer with the Minnesota Food Association. 

Community Driven Winter Market!

We’re so lucky to have HUGE support from so many local community groups. These people make this Winter Market a true event, and we’re lucky to have them!

Pine Tree Apple Orchard has once again donated their Hot Apple Cider! It will be served by White Bear Area Emergency Food Shelf volunteers. Let’s help hungry neighbors while shopping local 

Two happy shoppers with their FREE table top composting kits from Ramsey County!

Pam from the White Bear Lake Seed Library will again be spreading seeds of knowledge, and giving you info on starting your own seeds. We are so lucky to have a free and trusted source for locally saved seeds! Great blog and info at their link above.

The Ramsey County Master Gardeners will be available to answer gardening questions and and spread the word (and free starter kits) for the Ramsey County Composting program!

Viva Musica reps will be demonstrating their “Kindness Rocks” art program for schools.

Forks in the Dirt:  That’s me I’ll be there with a table to talk growing your own, backyard chickens, composting, canning and/or finding the best local food resources. My mission in getting this winter market together is to help us ALL make healthier, more sustainable food choices- for our own health, and the health of the planet!

Follow the WBL  Winter Market Facebook Event Page for up to date information and specials.

Can’t wait to Dig In and see you there!

– Michelle and the fabulous farmers and vendors of the WBL Winter Market!

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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.

Ringing in 2018!

Let’s Celebrate One Year of Forks in the Dirt!

Looking back over the first year of sharing food stories and info with whoever would listen- I had to stop and say THANK YOU! Thanks for making me so happy I took that leap of faith!!

I’ve learned more than I could have imagined; about growing food, farmers, food systems and building websites- but I also had a chance to distill what is important to me. I got to hang out with dozens of farmers on lovingly cared for land. I got to eat my way through a delicious summer and ate mostly locally grown (home preserved) food all winter.

Karin Costa helping my boys get their weekly sweet corn fix!

Officially, my website had 4,469 reads and lots of engagement over the many different posts on the blog, Facebook and Instagram… again, thanks for showing up!

*Some* of the topics covered:
Composting, Community Gardens, Farmers,  CSA’s, Planting Tips, Farmers Market Shopping Tips, Farm + Food Events, Raising Backyard Chickens, Pollinators, Food Hubs, Foraging,  Healthy Eating Recipes + Canning Recipes, Food Shelves, Growing for Food Shelves, the first ever Winter WBL Farmers Market and our WBL Seed Library– wheee!

All Good Organics Farmers Butch and Kris

I hope you’ve been able to learn and grow with me along the way.  That’s exactly why I started Forks in the Dirt; I wanted to dig in and see what I could cultivate in myself to become a better steward of the many resources I have. I am thankful for being able to devote time and energy to figuring out paths to good food; from seed, soil, farmer, market, pantry to table- I love every step of the journey!

I’ve learned how to preserve a few more of the veggies, I’m growing more food at home this season and learning to compost better. I’m developing relationships with local farmers who care for their land and the food they grow there, which in turn means they care for the people that eat it.

I’m also more dedicated than ever to the two food shelves I get to spend time with, and the people who depend on these places in uncertain times.

Being the Veggie Pusher at the Merrick food shelf in Woodland Hills Church

I’m also more aware that I partake of the same food privileges most middle class and ‘above’ white folks in Minnesota enjoy. I get to be choosy.

“I can eat my dinner in a fancy restaurant” –Ohh I miss you, Prince

But today in Minnesota 1 in 10 people face hunger. I see moving towards a solution to this hunger tied to leveling out food systems. It’s just not right that in 2017, we have 40% food waste and at the same time 41.2 million food insecure Americans.

Coming face to face with the differences in food shelves in suburban vs. urban areas has opened my eyes to how food justice issues sit down to dinner near me on the daily.

Lotsa lemon balm

After one year of being more conscious of food in general I buy  better quality foods in hopes of supporting local farm families and decreasing food miles + food waste.  Don’t get me wrong, I still but plenty from regular grocery stores, I have two growing boys and a ‘meat and potatoes’ husband. But we grow a LOT of potatoes and nearly all of the red meat they eat is from venison my husband has hunted with his bow and processed himself. Small steps do add up!

My Littlest Garden Helper

And there is such JOY in working with Mother Nature, seeing my kids tend their garden spaces, knowing where my food came from. It all means more when you feel connected to the food you eat. I think it is this connection to our food that will motivate more people to find better solutions to sustainability issues we ALL face.

Without going into a full on rant…

These are a few of the reasons I plan to continue gathering info and sharing with you. On the heels of Earth Day 2018 and the cusp of another growing season I’m renewing my commitment to digging in to make our food more sustainable, more enjoyable, more meaningful.

I am so proud of what I’ve been able to share, and the small impacts I’ve made on neighbors and farmers. Lots of little changes add up to big changes, so I want to ask you:

 What food changes will you make this year? Will you share them with me?

Making changes in my gardens

Let’s keep digging in and finding ways to keep moving towards full food integrity.

CHEERS, and thanks for joining me on the path!

Michelle

The post One Year of Digging In! appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

**Updated 3/03/2026 with current links**

CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture) have been around for in some form or another since the mid 1980’s- which first struck me as a much shorter history than I’d imagined. But, then I realized that the CSA idea came about jointly from both Farmers and consumers looking for new ways to grow good food- and eat good food.

This was one way to make a concrete change in how those consumers ate, and who grew their food. The basic idea of a CSA is that farmers get the purchase price up front to help cover costs of the upcoming farming season. With farmers knowing that they have that money, they are able to move forward with confidence, and maybe without a bank breathing down their necks…

The rewards for a member of a CSA are manyfold; fresh in-season produce boxed up and ready to go weekly at a pick up location of your choice, often with a newsletter or recipe ideas included. As I see it, the biggest reward is building a relationship with a farmer.

My husband and I purchased our first CSA back in 2010 while I was still working full time. It is kind of funny that I can’t remember the name of the farm, but I do remember I picked up my weekly boxes from one of the quaint little shops (The Nest) in downtown White Bear Lake. I never met the farmer, and there was never an invite from the farmer to do so.

Things have changed, on both the farmer and the consumer sides. Farmers are being more proactive in forging relationships, and consumers are looking for more than good food grown cheap- more and more, the people buying CSAs are doing it for a chance to connect to a farm, a farmer, a piece of land…and to benefit from the GOOD food these farmers provide.

Now that the CSA idea has had time to take root- it has also branched out in a few different directions. For this article, I’ve chosen a few local farms that represent the wide variety of options available to those of us lucky enough to live around the Twin Cities. Each of the following farms has a unique twist to them, showing again there’s so many ways to grow good food!

I would absolutely recommend any of the farms covered- but I’d also urge you to do your own research too, there are more and more (yay!) CSAs popping up every year. Currently, according the powerful MNGrown CSA search engine there are 86 CSAs in Minnesota. Use these ‘case studies’ as a launch pad to get yourself thinking what you want out of a CSA…

All Good Organics

This is the family farm that decided to build their own little Farm Store instead of packing up and taking their food to Farmers Markets (except the ones I run!)

Their Farm Store is open year-round 8am-8pm and is run mostly on the honesty policy. They do things their own way, and wow- is it working! This is truly your local, organic family run farm. You could go and pick out your veggies each week from what’s out in the farm stand, but you’re guaranteed the first flush if you sign up for the CSA.

They grow over 70 varieties of veggies. They also have eggs, meat chickens and whole and half hogs available for purchase. They’re open to possible farm tours and have a hay wagon at the ready.

For those of you that made it out to the last White Bear Lake Winter Farmer’s Market, this was the farmer table with all the fresh produce- and awesome sour kraut, salsa and frozen veggies. Butch mentioned how excited they are for this up-coming growing season, “We already have spinach, Romaine, Radish, Kale growing in green house now.”

All Good Organics

6657 Centerville Rd,
Lino Lakes, MN

16 Weeks
On Farm Pick Up

All Good Organics CSA ONLINE SIGN UP

TC Farm 

TC Farm is a group of sustainable family farms dedicated to raising
the very best food.

High Standards:

• Regenerative Practices – Building soil and protecting the planet
• Pasture-Raised – Animals on grass daily, not “access to” pasture
• No GMO’s – Ever. In feed, in fields, or on your plate
• No Drugs – No hormones or growth stimulants ever
• Certified Organic Produce – No synthetic pesticides or fertilizers
• Community First – Supporting local farms and families

TC Farm CSA

• Full Season – 20 boxes – Starts June 22nd (weekly-only)
• Half Season – 10 boxes – Starts June 22nd (weekly or bi-weekly)
• Quarter Season – 5 boxes – Starts mid-July (weekly or bi-weekly)

CSA Sign Up 

 THE GOOD ACRE

I hung out at The Good Acre a while back to understand more about what all this Food Hub does on the East side of the Twin Cities. Full article HERE. One of the most impressive pieces to their food cycle help, is the way they bring together so many farmers to offer the public a unique “Farm Share”. The new term represents their CSA well because of the large number (20+ this season) of different farmers working together to grow for you.

While not all organic, “Growers verify that they are using growing practices we deem safe for the land, air, and water around their farms. They are able to do that with the help of their full-time Grower Support Specialist, David VanEeckhout. David has over 20 years of organic farming experience, and he works very close with TGA’s growers during the season to help them with crop planning, pest and disease management, as well as soil fertility and growing in hoop houses,” Nikki  Warner, TGA’s Marketing Manager explained. The farmers own their own land, but use the power of group sourcing with TGA as a way to market their produce more effectively. The results are delicious.

The other reason this CSA made the list is their truly phenomenal list of possible add-ons. Because part of TGA’s Food Hub is their community kitchen where many local  food producers got their start, they have access to an amazing array of hand crafted products made from locally sourced foods. Such as: breads, honey eggs,  jams, kimchi, kombucha, salsa. I know, I’m drooling too.

The Good Acre CSA
1790 Larpenteur Avenue West, Falcon Heights, MN

18 weeks
26 + Drop sites

The Good Acre CSA 

EAT LOCAL!

Of course, farmers markets are my happy place, so if a CSA seems like to big of a commitment, check out your local farmers markets for others ways to support local food and the people that grow it!

Many of these farms have early bird pricing that is almost up, so check them out while the getting is good. If you’ve been on the fence about jumping in and buying a CSA, hop down off that fence and into that greener pasture- you AND your farmer will be happy you did!

Can’t wait to Dig In,

Michelle

The post CSA’s So Many Ways 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

The post Cultivating Good Will & Good Food at Costa’s appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

An early season market haul

I’ll admit it, my first few trips to the farmer’s market were pretty much like trips to a grocery store. Most of us are just not used to shopping directly from IRL farmers. While I can respect shopping a farmer’s market like a grocery store (you’ll still get super-fresh, tasty, nutritious foods) …for me, part of the Farmer’s Market experience is being able to connect with the farmers. I’m looking to knock out a few chains in the old food chain by visiting. And then there’s the plain old fact that the food tastes phenomenal! Sometimes even better than even your own home-grown produce, I mean these people are the pros after all. Through the last decade I’ve gathered some tips to help you make the most of your market visit.

Ask Away!

I get it- at first asking questions can be a weird thing; maybe we’re too “Minnesota Nice”, or maybe we’re just not used to being able to ask anything about our food. But really, isn’t getting closer to ‘Farm to Table’ eating why you’re at the Farmer’s Market? Don’t be worried about offending a farmer by asking them why their farm isn’t certified organic; you’ll learn so much about the how and why of their farming techniques you can’t help but feel good about eating it.

Here are some questions to get you started:

“Where is your farm?”
“When was this picked?”
“Do you use organic methods?”
 “Any new crops coming next week?”

These questions should get most farmers going! They’ve worked hard to grow and bring this food to market, their name and livelihood is dependent upon people caring enough to buy the food they grow again and again (another 180 from the supermarket).

White Bear Lake Farmers Market 2017

Powers of Observation

“There’s visual evidence behind the display table to give you big clues to how the farmer handles their food,” that’s a tip straight from a farmer who’s been selling at markets for almost 30 years.

It makes sense; if a farmer sets a tray of produce onto hot pavement (which will wilt it) at the market, how are they handling that food when no one is looking? Are there re-used containers, open or closed containers in the vehicle, coolers?

When my kids were at that ‘suicide watch’ stage of development (aka most of toddlerhood), I’d feel bad asking a farmer a question only to have to abandon the conversation to chase after my offspring. I still learned a ton  by hanging back (fine, call it eves dropping) and I kept coming back for more!

Not quite speed dating, but…
Just because the first farmer you come across has beautiful cucumbers doesn’t mean the farmers down the way don’t have beautiful cucumbers too- maybe grown organically and less expensive. The Real Estate law of “Location, Location, Location” applies to farmer’s markets as well. Take your time and shop around. The farmers’ stalls stay put, you get to peruse and compare- it’s actually really fun once you get comfy!

Happy shoppers on opening day at the White Bear Lake Farmers Market.

The More the Merrier

Bring friends with you to the market. You’ll be more likely to linger and maybe a wee bit bolder to ask farmers your burning questions. *Bonus* you’ll have someone to keep your kids from eating all the bread/caramel corn/honey samples at the next booth over (yes, I’ve learned my lesson now).

Getting to know these hard working, knowledgeable farmers adds so much more than a few extra ears of corn in your bag (which farmers have been known to do after building a relationship with you.) These are the people who know what is coming into season next week, and what will be gone until next year. Valuable info that helps you plan meals around the freshest produce!

I have no idea who this guy is, I just could not decide who my favorite farmer is…

Get Social

To take your connection to the next level, go ahead and ask your favorite farmer if they’re online. You’d be amazed at how many farmers share their stories on one or more social networks. You’ll get to see stories about the ups and downs of farming, healthy recipes for what’s in season and maybe even some adorable baby chick, lamb and calf photos- who wouldn’t want a few of these stories rolling through their feed!?!

Some of my favorite social sites so far:
Facebook:  Heinel Farms  &  Fresh Earth Farms
Instagram: Winnowburrow Farm  &  The Dirt Mag
Blog:  Broadfork Farm

Do you have a Family Farm’s social site you love? Please share it with us!

The early bird gets the… Melon

If you’re craving a watermelon, and they’re just coming on, get there early because there’s no warehouse storage facilities here. Farmers tend to harvest everything that’s ripe and within the realm of what they can sell that day. Example: If the weather is supposed to be rainy, the farmers won’t expect as many shoppers at market, they might not harvest as much, but the clouds blow away and it’s a beautiful summer morning. Well, just see how many farmers are completely sold out before the end of market time. This is part of the local food game. If you think about it, they’re just being good stewards of the land. I mean they have to cut it close, because just like you hate to throw away a bag of spinach- so do they.

*ps- Composting a purchased bag of greens is worlds away from tossing your lovingly home-grown greens; believe me!

Procrastinators Rewards

Showing up late has its advantages at the market. Since these are real farmers in charge of their own sales they can decide to take some $ off the top if the market is closing soon and no one was interested in broccoli that day.  Or if you buy by the case/bushel rather than a few at  a time. Which is a great way to stock that freezer with nutrient rich locally grown food for the long cold winter nights. For some pointers on freezing look no further than our very own University of Minnesota and their easy to follow resources for How to Freeze Produce. Or just watch THIS U of MN VIDEO narrated by Forks in the Dirt guest blogger, Megan Baumler.

At my hometown White Bear Lake Farmer’s Market, about 30 minutes before closing some farmers are ready to sell at a discount, but timing probably depends on the size and attendance of the market. Also, the veggies will be picked through, but anything you buy there will be fresher by far than a grocery store. But be prepared if the hot new item is gone by the end of the market.

A Few More Tips

Any decent article on farmer’s market how-to should include these points as well:

• Bring your own bags (in my book re-useable bags include Target bags that actually do a better job of keeping in moisture than fabric bags).
• Bring Cash (duh).
• Know that you can use SNAP benefits at most markets (check the market website)
• Bring a cooler (there are amazing meats and dairy at these markets too).
• If your low on self-control, (like yours truly) feed your crew first, trust me here!
• SMILE! You are lucky to be able to shop this variety of lovingly grown food

I urge you to get out there and visit your local farmer’s market- and I dare you to wait the extra week or two to buy from your local farmer’s market what the grocery store has delivered from down south. Your taste buds, the local economy, and even your nutritional intake will be improved!

New to the Farmer’s Market Game? Here’s the MN Grown list of Famer’s Markets,   it may take me a while to make it to all 185 Farmer’s Markets in MN, but I’m going to go ahead and DIG IN!

Michelle

The post Secrets to Shopping Success at Farmer’s Markets appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.